THE FUTURE IS RUSHING UPON US

We're in for a wild ride. Exponentially accelerating technological, cultural, and socioeconomic evolution means that every year will see more developments than the previous one. More change will happen between now and 2050 than during all of humanity's past. Let's explore the 21st century and ride this historic wave of planetary transition with a confident open mind.

Showing posts with label british empire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label british empire. Show all posts

Sunday, October 16, 2011

10 Signs That American Empire is Collapsing

click to enlarge
The imperial perimeter is shrinking and inevitably leaving power vacuums to be filled. As that occurs, actors outside the perimeter expand their force.  How can we tell?








1) Switzerland, one of the ablest money changers, has thrown its support behind the Eurozone by pegging the Swiss franc to the Euro. As explained previously, this may signal that E.U. is beginning to win the currency wars. Shorting the Euro has resulted in financial massacres as of late (hilarious considering talk of parity a year ago).

2) US abandons plans to extend presence of its troops in Iraq, thus ceding the country to the influence of much hated Tehran. Iraqi Shiite political coalition increases its autonomy having benefited from return to high oil prices. This occurs even as violence against US troops has increased this year compared to last (possibly stirred by Tehran).

3) Alexei Kudrin, one of the last and most entrenched neoliberals (ideological pro Anglo-Saxon cadres) in the Russian government, has been publicly fired by president Medvedev. This occurred after Kudrin criticized Russian Federation's plan to invest an unprecedented $700 billion to modernize its military over the next 10 years. Moscow is preparing to deal with possible instability within new power vacuums in central Asia and Europe. Putin's return to presidency (external affairs duty versus prime minister's internal affairs) next year goes well with this as he is familiar with key world leaders on a personal level.

4) Attempts to create tensions between Saudis and Persians via stories of ridiculous Tehranian "plots" in an effort to keep house of Saud under Washington's wing. Saudis no longer trust US to protect them (seeing wider Anglo-led attempts to create general instability in the region) and have began strategic autonomous dialogue with Pakistan and other players.

5) Irrational moves to prevent violence backed dollar from devaluation by starting more policing actions in weaker regions (Africa) to make up for disappearance of influence in relevant regions (like central Europe). This loss of influence is demonstrated by the defeats dealt in the Russo-Georgian conflict fiasco, cancellation of anti-ballistic missile installations in Poland, and Moscow feeling secure enough to increase pressure on its once regional ally Belarus for pure economic gain. As for Africa, besides the tragic murder of Libya, there's the hypocritical and superficial increase in policing deeper within Africa. Washington is engaging in laughable attempts to displace Libya as Africa's moral leader (after having destroyed one of the better competing socioeconomic guidebooks for the continent via siding with homicidal NTC "rebels").

6) Hugo Chavez's recent decision to pull the gold that Venezuelan central bank stores abroad from its storage in NYC and London vaults.

7) Signs of belligerence between supposed Washington allies in the Middle East. Turkey and Israel increasingly hostile to each other as they cut military cooperation over the murder of Turkish citizens during the raid on Gaza flotilla. This demonstrates inability and/or lack of resources to properly mediate by DC strategists.

8) Continuing sales of US bonds by Beijing and Moscow (centers of more efficient predatory capitalism). Expanding interest by non-BRIC countries to bilaterally deal in their own currencies. Fears of abandoning the dollar are gradually fading as NATO forces are showing logistical cracks in their operations. Regional economic summits are starting to lock out and not invite DC observers.

9) Increase in autonomy seeking behavior among key NATO allies. Although still occupied, Germany maintains non-participation in Washington backed military adventures abroad. Berlin is actually dramatically slashing its defense force expenditures. France's proactive role in continental affairs and the Libya fiasco as it tries to maneuver itself to better position within NATO decision making process. Rise in belligerence in British press towards the American empire shows possible desire to decouple London's parasitic relationship with Washington (in the beginning of 20th century, up to 40% of British foreign investments were in US industry and Britain successfully destroyed two major superpowers by pitting American empire against the Soviets in the 1950s).

10) Rise in calls for an "American perestroika" in major imperialist publications. There is worry among Washington's geopolitical theorists that the subject population in North America is becoming too malnourished and psychologically weak/unstable to continue energetically maintaining (much less expanding) the global force perimeter.

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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

British Empire's psychological effect on its population

Egypt about to get civilized
A brief historical recap that may provide some clues about the current North American hegemon







It is no longer a secret that parts of the Western hemisphere have become "the old world". This is primarily seen in the New England region of the United States. There are some glaring demonstrations of this phenomenon. One is billionaire oligarch mayor Bloomberg's admiration of the city of London and Amsterdam (and cheerful co-mingling with their managers). The other is the hideous and embarrassing media fawning over the recent hereditary mafia wedding that occurred in London. It appears that American elites have given up on the project of building a unique and divergent socioeconomic system of their own (1790s-1970s period). No longer proud experimenters competing with the old world, they are now happy to take socioeconomic marching orders and get swallowed up by the original oligarchical mother country. The growing frequency of British accents in upper hierarchies in Northeastern United States is very indicative. It is even written that a British accent sounds more authoritative and sells more product if used in commercials in this region!

Northeast is not only exhausted in terms of ideas but demographically as well. The 2010 census showed a major population loss to the southern states. By many metrics, Texas is now the most powerful and still vital center of the old American system (since they are a few decades behind in development of minimal state capitalism, have not managed to squeeze it dry yet, and have a population yet to be as totally demoralized as it is in the northeast).

Lets look at the British experience and see if anything can be glimpsed from their herd's development. 

A global oceanic empire with fragmented colonies separated by thousands of miles has an infantilizing effect on the citizenry. That is due to the constant relief of social tensions through colonial emigration and the crown's need to use its strongest people to control the conquered. British citizens who had physiological predisposition towards aggressiveness, impulsivity, and restlessness (Myers-Briggs personality types of ESTPs, ENTJs, ENTPs, ENFPs) always had a socially encouraged outlet. These hardy extroverted breeds could leave the socially rigid crowded home island to seek new financial and farming opportunities abroad at any time (go west, east, south young man). The frontier keeps growing as the oldest settled parts are thoroughly divided into real estate rentier turfs under the boot of the hereditary mafia clans. Many other hardy men who decide to stay get drafted anyway and their energy is expanded on suppressing and controlling alien cultures and weaker peoples. Then of course we have the prisoners being sent to penal colonies and various people pretty much kidnapped to be part of the navy (it wasn't uncommon to hit drunk poverty stricken young lads on the head near pubs and have them awaken on ships, I kid you not.)
No more lands to conquer

With the potential lower class trouble makers gone, the crown needs to worry less about actually allowing the people their say and share of the national resources. Lower classes are culturally (and genetically to a degree) purged of possible future leaders and centers of resistance. Paternalism from above is strengthened and becomes more impudent. Those that stay behind are either too physiologically weak, conservative, complacent and/or nationalistic (ESTJs, ISTJs, ISFJs, ESFJs) to stir too much social unrest. Social and economic reform is left to the elites (where aggressive extroverted genes become overly clustered and fine tuned through interbreeding). The number of elites is small and they are one big happy family who went to the same schools. 

Sometimes when social tension gets too great from some military reversal abroad or the economic situation getting desperate, the elites split the parliament and put on a show for the public. Some become "lords" and some become "representatives" of the commoners by deciphering what the commoners want through an upper class lens. In the end, there is always a cheerful compromise. Talented people of middle class status are encouraged to go abroad and become lords themselves within the occupied territories.

The vast majority of the population finds itself either under the boot and bayonet on the home island or in the middle of nowhere and next to hostile natives thousands of miles away. They then view the home island with a sense of nostalgia and admiration. They begin to view the home island as a trade partner and a protector against local rebellions. They start to forget how miserable and oppressive existence was back home. Their children and grandchildren definitely don't know the horrid conditions that made their parents leave (if they weren't drafted or sent to god forsaken lands as punishment for a crime). The crown is viewed as a kind father who brings civilization and not as a belt whipping parent. A super conservative parent who divides and conquers his own subjects. Whites are put against whites with English feeling superior to the Irish. Whites are united against the newer subjects and feel superior to Indians. Indians in turn, are drafted to oppress blacks and so on. (Remind you of anything yet?)

After some time, the British citizens don't even question this mode of existence as it becomes incredibly fine tuned and self perpetuating. The crown and parliament had hundreds of years to learn control and give candy or the belt when needed. British subjects stopped questioning those in charge. The stern crown even dared to call itself liberal, civilized, and enlightened just because it gave the older brothers some leeway in harassing the younger ones. British peoples got to run around the yard doing what they wish while their parent shook fists across the fence at the even more conservative Czars or Emperors next door. Of course the little ones had to do their chores daily.

Then finally came the two big wars and events where up to 3,000 British citizens were being butchered for the crown each day (Battle of the Somme). They also died in huge numbers defending London directly from planes. They started feeling a sense of empowerment and ownership for the first time. So the parent gave them a welfare state. Elites decided that if they continue whipping the older sons they will get punched in the face. So they gave some healthcare and split themselves not into lords and commoners this time but into Labour and Conservative factions. They still dined together, laughed, and were closer socially than republican and democrat heavy hitters in a certain former colony. This worked and the people left them alone. The people did not get a supreme court, constitution, socialism, or checks and balances. The "subjects" (!) still had a monarch whose children tabloids went crazy about. 

The British empire reduced the Brits to a groveling mass without true national identity (to upper classes it doesn't matter what color or nationality those at the bottom are) consuming American byproducts like Budweiser and MTV and being flooded by former colonials from Asia without any solution in sight. This system had the effect of stamping out the self confidence of most people left on the home island and depriving them of sense that they can control their destiny. England is now a rust belt dorm house saturated in alcohol, rapid Americanization due to lack of culture (one larger cultural vacuum sucking in another), and distrust of continental people trying to build something new. New England (new in name only) will continue to fall deeper into a similar hole if major changes are not undertaken by a now gradually awakening population.

There is a happy ending to all this. Parasitism cannot last forever and eats itself in the end (sorry you wont get those Libyan or Iraqi oil fields boys and girls). Once the extroverted aggressive genetics don't have sufficient release outlets and begin to build up, wondrous new experimental projects can begin.

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