Friday, August 30, 2019

Two Systems, One World — Joschka Fischer

Like the twentieth-century Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the new rivalry between China and the West is a contest between fundamentally incompatible political systems. And the idea that freedom and democracy will prevail can no longer be taken for granted.…
While this is an interesting read, I don't think he frames it quite right. Alexander Dugin has pointed out that there are three modern political theories, liberalism, communism, and fascism, and one ancient one, traditionalism. Communism and fascism are now visible only as remnants and the major dialectical opposition presently is that between liberalism and traditionalism. This is the case not only internationally and regionally, but also within countries, e.g., as "traditional values," religious traditions, and cultural traditions and customs.

Joschka Fischer is also mistaken in claiming that Enlightenment liberalism was founded on the principle of freedom based on all men being equal. History contradicts that. The actual meaning was "all white males that owned property" rather than all human beings. Current events reveal that this has not changed all that much, only the narrative and façade.

Let's be real and call a spade a spade. Confucius was big on rectification of names.

Project Syndicate
Two Systems, One World
Joschka Fischer | German Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor from 1998-2005

4 comments:

Marian Ruccius said...

Tom Hickey -- I am always impressed by your commitment to judging western governments by the same standard as others, including despostic governments such as China's.

That said, even the US-British support for genocide in Yemen, or say, the hundreds of thousands killed in Iraq, by Bill Clinton and George W, pale in comparison to the authoritarian abuses of the Chinese government (think Xinjian and Tibet). Germany and most European governments, despite the growth of the European "security apparatus" pale in comparison to China. They really can be said to be "free" in a way China manifestly is not. Fischer is largely correct.

Tom Hickey said...

Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone. John 8:7

Matt Franko said...

“commitment to judging”

Tom doesn’t judge anything/anybody.... Toms not judgmental at all imo... ?????

S400 said...

”the hundreds of thousands killed in Iraq, by Bill Clinton and George W, pale in comparison to the authoritarian abuses of the Chinese government (think Xinjian and Tibet”

And you know that because of what sources?