Wallerstein on the Global Left and Right
EDITORIAL,
12 September 2016
Nº 446 | Johan Galtung, 12 Sep 2016
- TRANSCEND Media Service
Wallerstein is unique. Nobody else has
presented such a coherent theory of what he calls the modern world-system, from
“the long 16th century” up till today; essentially capitalist. There are
ups and downs during those four centuries. He is very much at home in the
economic Kondratiev cycles–A for up, B for down, but not that much down–and in
the political-military hegemonic cycles of the would-be hegemons in the same
period. Read Immanuel Wallerstein, become wiser.
He warns against the Global Right “Lampedusa
tactic” of “changing things so that they remain the same”. And insists on
Liberty, Equality and Fraternity for the Global Left–but sees
the French Revolution more as normalizing change than as
people’s sovereignty. Like faith in the middle classes: they are actually
helping the Global Right, when in minority they are enlarged by the majority
working classes, when in majority they neglect the working class minority left
behind.
Right now Wallerstein sees capitalism in crisis
with no remedy–of which I am not so sure–and the US hegemony also in a crisis
with no remedy–a view I share–, as the fall of an empire with local elites
killing for them; now they have to do most of the killing themselves.
The Global Right, in power for a long time, is
now faltering. Time for the Global Left? Or, does Zizek’s brilliant
formula “the left never misses a chance to miss a chance” apply?
Wallerstein: Yes!, and offers six Global Left
proposals:
·
Use, promote, the Spirit of Porto Alegre, the World Social
Forum;
·
Use electoral tactics at least to defend what has been achieved;
·
Demand ever more welfare state–free education, health, life
income;
·
Make liberals liberal: open borders, have companies pay for
failure;
·
Fight racism (and we might add: sexism, middleagism, centrism,
homophobia, etc.)
·
Decommodify, education-health as human rights, not
buying-selling.
No problem agreeing with these general
principles. But concrete cases of the Left progressing may be more
problematic: the Zapatista revolt in Chiapas 1 Jan 1994 (the day NAFTA came
into force), and the first Porto Alegre meeting in 2001. This author was
present in both.
Chiapas: The “Zapatista Revolt” was marketed by
a clever outside professor; the “revolt” imported high culture from central
Mexico. No Maya revolt in Chiapas-Yucatan-Guatemala-Belice-Honduras for
equality.
Porto Alegre: an impressive parade of the
diversity in “another world is possible” message; many worlds in search of
unifying themes and action. Like the theme of inequality. And the action of
boycotting companies with unacceptable CEO/worker income ratios.
HOWEVER, more basic: Wallerstein’s breathtaking
overview is limited and limiting; to the West, and to one period,
“modernity”. Not Global; and Right vs Left–pro-contra capitalism–is
modern. Modernity fostered State, Capital and People: Capital produced more
capital and met material demands from people who could pay; State cooperated with
Capital, was bought, but also protected People; People fight, for their basic
needs survival, wellness, freedom, identity.
I see Western history as expansion/contraction
cycles—before, Greco-Roman expansion–now contracting, in a world with Islam,
Hindu, Buddhist, Chinese, Japanese civilizations to mention some–neglected by
Western universalist arrogance and ignorance. Next door is Islam,
suffering from the same universalism, “the only true faith for all at all
times”, and counter-cyclical to the West: when one contracts the other
expands. Right now Islam expands and the West contracts.
“Right” stands for Capital growth for material,
body, demands; “Left” for State-People cooperation against Capital, for
distribution. BUT, for distribution of what? Of the same? Of
more things that lead to more empty lives marred by more egocentric
loneliness? With Islam expanding, offering We-centric togetherness,
sharing for basic needs?
Crisis, indeed. But the way out could be a
new discourse, less material, more spiritual; something to live for, not only
from. Could be for causes beyond egocentric
satisfaction; religions offer answers, so do causes like peace, development,
environment, the UN Three.
Could be driven by the incredible creativity of
the human spirit, beyond God’s Creation, consuming arts and sciences produced
by others, and by becoming creative producers. Or, simply searching,
wandering and wondering monks, not letting material things stand in the way.
New Middle Ages? Look, all ages are “middle”, between
past and future. “A new contraction phase, into inner, more spiritual
lives, into smaller units”, is more indicative. Maybe in Europe and USA
with 500 rather than 50 autonomous units? Woven together, cooperating for
more mutual and equal benefit; wanting less, hence struggling less?
And the economy? In “land, labor, capital”
or “Nature, Humans, Capital”, nature and humans are indispensable. Not only as
means, inputs in an economy for growth, distribution or both, but as absolute
ends in themselves. The economy must balance naturism, humanism and
capitalism, so must economics. Today’s “economics” focuses on capital and
growth. Throw it out, produce a human-nature focused economics.
Modernity with its dominant State-Capital-People
discourse and reality is now fading. What comes next?
“Post-modernity” is an empty expression, meaning “after modernity”. The
hypothesis offered here is contraction, in an oscillating history; stimulated
in both phases in the West by less sense of balance than found in other
civilizations. The bigger the expansion, the power, the bigger the
contraction, the fall. Look at Germany, Russia, Turkey, Spain, France, England,
USA–.
What happens happens, but add to Wallerstein’s
Six Western Left Six humanist-naturist for more balance in the coming
contraction:
·
Lift up suffering humanity at the bottom, for full
participation;
·
Lift up suffering nature at the bottom, for full participation;
·
Promote a Western We-culture of togetherness and sharing;
·
Promote a materially simpler, spiritually richer, creative life;
·
Promote equivalents of monasteries, with freedom to join, to
leave;
·
Promote an exit from the rhythm in favor of more balanced,
both-and.
And global? Maybe reaching other civilizations?
Except Islam they are much older than the West, and have survived.
Perhaps through more diversity, symbiosis, more balance. Maybe the West
can learn from that.
________________________________
Johan Galtung, a professor of peace
studies, dr hc mult, is founder of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace, Development and
Environment and rector of the TRANSCEND Peace University-TPU.
Prof. Galtung has published 1669 articles and
book chapters, over 400 Editorials for TRANSCEND Media Service, and
over 167 books on peace and related issues, of which 41 have been
translated into 35 languages, for a total of 135 book translations, including ‘50 Years-100
Peace and Conflict Perspectives,’ published by the TRANSCEND University Press-TUP.
This article originally appeared on Transcend
Media Service (TMS) on 12 September 2016.
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on the Global Left and Right, is included. Thank you.
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"The master class
has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles.
The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject
class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their
lives." Eugene Victor Debs
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