We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Monday, June 22, 2015

The “Great Satan” and the “New Silk Road”

Click here to access article by Caleb Maupin from New Eastern Outlook.
Wall Street Aggression Drives Expansion of Iran-China Relations. In February of 2015, China heralded the opening of its month leading the Security Council with a cultural performance at the United Nations Headquarters. The performance, done in the form of traditional Chinese ballet was called “The Dream of the Maritime Silk Road.”

.... The theme of the performance was not merely an obscure historical reference, and its selection for performance at the United Nations was no accident. The respective histories of China and Iran in the last century have many similarities. In the current period, though the two countries have distinctly different ideologies and perspectives, they are increasing becoming bound together in economics. Both of them are facing increasing hostility from the United States.
Later he writes:
China currently has a vast capitalist market, that is tightly regulated and controlled by the Communist Party. The Chinese Communist Party has millions of members throughout the country. The Communist Party functions in a highly disciplined manner, watching over the capitalists and society as a whole, to ensure that the goals of the revolution remain intact.
But, I remain unconvinced that China's capitalist class will not corrupt and takeover the Communist Party. And, what are the aims of the Chinese Communist Party?