Another World Is PossibleAn Excerpt from Noam Chomsky's
HEGEMONY OR SURVIVAL; America's Quest for Full Spectrum Dominance pp 236-237:
Over the course of modern history, there have been significant gains in human rights and democratic control of some sectors of life. These have rarely been the gift of enlightened leaders. They have typically been imposed on states and other power centers by popular struggle. An optimist might hold, perhaps realistically, that history reveals a deepening appreciation for human rights, as well as a broadening of their range--not without sharp reversals, but the general tendency seems real. The issues are very much alive today. The harmful effects of the corporate globalization project have led to mass popular protest and activism in the South, later joined by major sectors of the rich industrial societies, hence becoming harder to ignore. For the first time, concrete alliances have been taking shape at the grassroots level. These are impressive developments, rich in opportunity. And they have had effects, in rhetorical and sometimes policy changes. There has been at least a restraining influence on state violence, though nothing like the "human rights revolution" in state practice that has been proclaimed by intellectual opinion in the West.
These various developments could prove very important if momentum can be sustained in ways that deepen the emerging global bonds of sympathy and solidarity. It is fair to say, I think, that the future of our endangered species may be determined in no small measure by how these popular forces evolve.
One can discern two trajectories in current history: one aiming toward hegemony, acting rationally within a lunatic doctrinal framework as it threatens survival; the other dedicated to the belief that "another world is possible," in the words that animate the World Social Forum, challenging the reigning ideological system and seeking to create cdonstructive alternatives of thought, action and institutions. Which trajectory will dominate, no one can foretell. The pattern is familiar throughout history; a crucial difference today is that the stakes are far higher.
Betrand Russell once expressed some somber thoughts about world peace:
After ages during which the earth produced harmless trilobites and butterflies, evolution progressed to the point at which it has generated Neros, Genghis Khans, and Hitlers. This, however, I believe is a passing nightmare; in time the earth will become again incapable of supporting life and peace will return.
No doubt the projection is accurate on some dimension beyond our realistic contemplation. What matters is whether we can awaken ourselves from the nightmare before it becomes all-consuming, and bring a measure of peace and justice and hope to the world that is, right now, within the reach of our opportunity and our will.
The book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0805074007/qid=1085163982/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/104-2278631-1581539?v=glance&s=books&n=507846The unabridged audio CDs:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1559279419/ref=lpr_g_2/104-2278631-1581539?v=glance&s=booksBoth are well worth the cost; the book has incredible footnotes regarding the cost of hegemony for our Democracy.
For those who can not afford the cost:
http://www.aeschatech.com/medialibrary/NoamChomsky_HegemonyOrSurvival/
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