Daily Times

It was not in the distant past, though it may seem so given the quick succession in which events are unfolding, when economic turmoil gripped Greece. For the people the bells of insurmountable woes have begun to toll. The land of Spartacus, maintaining its tradition, arose to halt the meek surrender of its ruling hierarchy that instead of declaring a default — a destiny irrevocable in this case — yielded sheepishly to the humiliating terms of the IMF. This crisis is certainly not Greece-specific. It is just another victim of anarchy, an inherent trait of capitalism. The vulnerable economy and vast public resources of Greece have made it an ultimate prey for the gratification of international capital. The only hint of solace — if one is desperate to seek any — may be that Greece is not the only one in this long chain of paupers that are queuing up for pecuniary resuscitation in front of a predator, the IMF. The existence of this chain is a proof in itself of the bizarre nature of this system, which is utterly inhuman in content. Rupert Murdoch and his sham trial is one such example. The media tycoon, who brazenly commodified human misery, posed for a penance in front of those who — being the members of the same class — were no less guilty of similar crimes though in different disguises. The momentary ignominy of Murdoch though provided a brief sigh of relief to the embattled Cameron.

The US continues to be marred by the same affliction. After providing bountiful bailouts to its capitalists, she is looking for one for herself with the magnitude of debt in excess of $ 14 trillion. The process that President Nixon started refuses to be interred. Apart from his charisma, President Obama has no magic wand at his disposal. Further borrowing and massive reduction in public spending always remain the only likely outcome. The masses are crucified and business goes on as usual. The irony is that the people are sent to the gallows; as Hegel stated, for “nothing through nothing to nothing”. This is the first rule of the divine gospel scribbled by capitalist democracy — all for one (or for the few) but none for all. History bears testimony that these apparent combatants are the actual collaborators since their designs and motives are similar, i.e. scaring the people and then depriving them of their liberties by employing all means (that they deem) necessary.

The phenomenon of scare has recently come to haunt a state where serenity and peace prevailed. Unlike many other countries of Europe, which, due to economic crisis are in dire straights, Norway is sailing rather smoothly. However, capitalism has a strange knack of unleashing uncertainty and a sense of insecurity. It is so contagious that those who are considered to be relatively immune are actually more exposed to the onslaughts of this malady. To maintain the status quo, it always needs an enemy. Phobias are created; race, religion and ethnicity have always proved to be the most convenient tools of capitalism to obfuscate the class war. Islamophobia is the need and outcome of this maintenance of the status quo.

The fall of the Soviet Union required a new enemy for the utility of the military-industrial complex and for the realisation of capital. An enemy was duly invented by following in the footsteps of Hitler. Judaism was replaced with Islam. The propagators of ‘the clash of civilisations’ precisely knew their task. The intellectuals that subserve capitalism can be anything but obtuse. They are actually thoroughly conversant with the ‘real’ enemy — the philosophy of Socialism. Hence, a religion once thought to be compatible with the western world was portrayed and propelled as hostile to the same jilted lover that was once allowed to flirt with it, knowing fully well that no religion refutes the tenets of capitalism: a free market, accumulation through expropriation and the maintenance of class divisions. Like other western states that needed to quell the disquiet of their respective people by creating a bias against Muslims, Norway too could not resist the temptation but was caught unaware and rather prematurely in the snare laid down by the speculative nature of this system.

Social phenomena do not happen in a void; they are intricately interconnected. Global capitalism is more than interlinked. Stress on one end leaves the rest of the tentacles taut. July 22 was the beginning of this nightmare when the biggest massacre of Norway’s modern history unfolded, its mutilated face in the shape of Anders Breivik. The hatred ignited and nurtured by the state boomeranged, and the chickens have come home to roost. The lessons to be learnt are that hatred is a kind of atrophy, may it be nurtured in the garb of democracy, free expression or in the shape of outright fascism. It tends to kill everything else but itself. More importantly, it never fails to remind us that class struggle cannot be replaced by pitting one sect of society against the other. It worked for Hitler since capitalism needed a world war to realise itself, but it may not work today, though capitalism finds itself in the same blind alley as it was in 1939. However, in those days the axis powers were fortunate to have allies to confront. Two mighty but opposite industrial-military complexes were there to fight a decisive battle for the ultimate hegemony. Destruction — partial or complete — of either one of them would have solved the problem of over-production of stagnant commodities by their utilisation as war material and of human capital (overpopulation) through death and extinction. Post-war construction actually enlivened the market and capital achieved its destination. Things are not that rosy today as they were in the past.

The US is still the lone military superpower but it has been dethroned from the status of an economic supreme power. China is nowhere near the US in military might nor does it wish to engage in any belligerent activity, making the chances of any war between the two remote. Knowing this reality fully well, American imperialism (and its European allies) chose soft targets such as Iraq and Afghanistan and more recently Libya — pre-capitalist markets — and augmented the hatred directed at the Muslims but to no avail. The economic recession refuses to respond to these therapies. The repercussions are staggering. Today not only the state of Norway but the whole western world is in a state of shock. The system that only cultivates hatred cannot reap love. The lesson needs to be learnt now.

The writer is based in Australia and has authored books on socialism. He can be reached at saulatnagi@hotmail.com