Should Eurasia be Unified?
This was posted by Matt on Musewire 07/04/2009:
“Eurasia – to unify or not to unify? That is the question… For advice turn to ‘the grand chess board’ by Zbigniew Brzeninski”
It’s a simple question…
I am neither intelligent nor educated enough to be able to answer it confidently and conclusively. But the question was asked and, inadvertently, my curiosity was aroused… Actually, after reading that book I have even felt a long-forgotten twinge of USSR-induced old nationalism/patriotism. (Don’t worry, it didn’t last long!)
So I did something I haven’t done before: I’ve scanned my ancient (see below) passport in order to show it off. I think I’ll give it away to a collector one day, — every time I look at it, it gives me the chills…
Ok, here is what’s in my head:
The front scan of my old USSR Passport
“Opinions are like assholes, — everyone has one.”
“It’s better to be silent and to be suspected of being a fool, than to open your mouth and prove it!”
I must say that I agree with Brzezinski on several key points, yet disagree with him on many more. Over a decade has passed since the publication of the book, and the international affairs are not what they were in the 90’s (Iraq, anyone?).
He spends some time explaining how America came to be the first truly Global superpower, and in the course of that Brzezinski speaks at length about the collapse of the Soviet Union:
It was extremely interesting to read about it from the perspective of someone who got to watch it from the outside. I, on the other hand, had the opportunity to watch the collapse from the inside (I was born in the USSR). Although I was only 12 when it happened, I have a fairly clear memory of what it felt like to suddenly find yourself literally without a country. I knew and understood even then that USSR was repressive, undemocratic, politically, economically, ideologically, culturally and socially unsound, — and that’s putting it mildly. And yet I regretted the collapse. Uncertainty was worse than the ‘evil you know’. And in the beginning, for a while it actually was worse. I remember the banking system in Ukraine failing 3 times after the collapse…
Anyway, I think that Brzezinski’s observations on the old USSR are ’spot on’.
I disagree with Brzezinski when he says that a “quick end to America’s supremacy – either because of America’s withdrawal from the world or because of the sudden emergence of a successful rival – would produce massive International instability.” I disagree that “the sustained international primacy of the United States is central to the welfare and security of Americans and to the future of freedom, democracy, open economies, and international order in the world.” – Just like with the British Empire over a century ago, the cultural and political superiorities of the United States are only projected, and are not actual values. They are valid only for as long as they are quietly accepted. I feel that the time for quiet acceptance is coming to a perceivable end.
On the same subject, Brzezinski writes about how British Empire was able to hold on to its power and influence with what seems like sheer will and determination alone: “Britain derived a great deal of its staying power from the perception of British cultural superiority. That superiority was not only a matter of subjective arrogance on the part of the imperial ruling class, but was a perspective shared by many of the non-British subjects. Cultural superiority, successfully asserted and quietly conceded, had the effect of reducing the need to rely on large military forces to maintain the power of the imperial center.” – America also seems to rely on its ‘cultural sureriority’ at least in part while playing on the international arena.
Every history student will show you conclusively that every Empire will eventually fail. “If we fail to learn from our past, we have no future.” On this subject Brzezinski goes on to quote Donald Puchala: “Like so many empires before it, the Soviet Union eventually imploded and fragmented, falling victim not so much to a direct military defeat as to disintegration accelerated by economic and social strains.” “…Empires are inherently politically unstable because subordinate units almost always prefer greater autonomy, and counter-elites in such units almost always act, upon opportunity, to obtain greater autonomy. In this sense, empires do not fall; rather, they fall apart, usually very slowly, though sometimes remarkably quickly.”
Two words strike me in the quote above, and they are ”… upon opportunity…” For the first time since WWII that opportunity is almost tangible. America is beginning to display the same social and economic symptoms that were prevalent at the start of the collapse of the Roman Empire.
On Roman Empire: “Rome’s imperial power, however, was also derived from an important psychological reality. Civis Romanus Sum, — ‘I am a Roman Citizen’, — was the highest possible self-definition, a source of pride, and an aspiration for many. It inclined those subject to Rome’s rule to desire assimilation and inclusion in the imperial structure.”
On American Hegemony: “The American emphasis on political democracy and economic development thus combines to convey a simple ideological message that appeals to many: the quest for individual success and freedom while generating wealth. The resulting blend of idealism and egoism is a potent combination. Individual self-fulfillment is said to be a god-given right that at the same time can benefit others by setting an example and by generating wealth. It is a doctrine that attracts the energetic, the ambitious, and the highly competitive.” – This ‘will do anything for wealth’ mentality is becoming increasingly less and less attractive, even to the friendly European power players. As our corruption and arrogance (and ignorance that accompanies it) becomes more and more visible to the rest of the world, it becomes less and less popular to be an American in the eyes of non-Americans. As the world is getting smaller, the new generation that comes after us places more emphasis on ‘global citizenship’ instead. ‘Civis Americanus Sum’ no longer applies to the section of the forward-thinking, progressive American youth and their non-American counterparts.
We have a rare and unique opportunity in this country now. For the first time since WWI we have a President who will perhaps be less inclined to march across the world, with a loaded gun in his pocket, to hand-feed our policies and our way of life to others; those others who haven’t necessarily even asked for it. I am hoping that the image of America as the World’s Policeman will be abandoned by Obama. Our current American Global Empire/Hegemony bears the beginning of the same symptoms that were present at the decline of the Roman Empire: cultural and economic deterioration, plus the unwillingness of the stagnant citizens to make lifestyle and economic sacrifices. Our technology may have progressed further, yet our ability to effectively communicate with the rest of the world took a huge step back.
We are out of sync, out of step with the global community in our perception of ourselves.
If a single powerful rival emerges out of Eurasia, it is possible that the United States lead by Obama will not pursue the new power-player in their quest for unrivalled global dominance. There is a small chance that America will be content, as it once was, to be an outside silent observer. Maybe we can again “quickly retreat into a self-gratifying combination of isolationism and idealism.” As long as that chance is there, it must be taken; in another generation or so American domination will be on the way of being replaced with a genuine global cooperation. The first step towards such a cooperation must be made.
Even Brzezinski goes on to admit that the American power will eventually diminish: “And since America’s unprecedented power is bound to diminish over time, the priority must be to manage the rise of other regional powers in ways that do not threaten America’s global primacy.” – meaning, that while we are at the helm, we plan for our retirement. And: “In the long run, global politics are bound to become increasingly uncongenial to the concentration of hegemonic power in the hands of a single state. Hence, America is not only the first, as well as the only, truly global superpower, but it is also likely to be the very last.”
History teaches us that this Empire will also fall, as did all the others before it.
Maybe the beginning of that end is now.
To Be Updated Further…
I think I understand a little why Bellamy has brought all this up to the attention of his fan-base.
There are several ways of achieving immortality, the subject which may even be more important to an atheist than to a believer. First, we can have a child. That ensures that a physical part of us goes on long after we are dust. Second, we can write a book. If that book happens to be any good, it guarantees that our ideas (and therefore a small part of our mind) continue to live.
Or we can write music.
I personally consider good music to be alive; and when I say that, I am attempting to explain the unexplainable. I feel that music is a living medium, an ever-changing force capable of reaching us on a level far deeper than our minds or even our emotions. It reaches to the very core of us, — that eternal energy that cries “I am!”. I believe that it’s precisely that energy which lives on and doesn’t die (regardless of which god has won the popularity contest this century), and it can be permanently altered, influenced by music.
I think Bellamy understands that.
But his immortality will not only be through his music, it will be through his influence on the generation that will come after him. Those hordes of teenagers madly in love with MUSE will rule the world after all of us (30 year olds) are gone. I don’t think that even Matt fully understands the scope of impact that he has on them. Nevertheless, he gave them a book to read. They read it, played the Treasure Hunt Game, and generally had a great time… One day, perhaps 50 years from now, one of them will help make a decision that will save the Earth from ourselves.
It’s a long shot, I admit; but it’s worth taking.
And this is why I admire MUSE: least of all for the music ( as great as it is), but most of all for the kind of people that they are.
Thank you, Matt, — the heart and soul of MUSE, for actually caring.
