On Fri, 08 Dec 2000, you wrote: > Paul, > > > While I agree that it's > > a long step from such initial re-establishments of > protectorates to the possibility of inter-imperialist rivalries re-emerging. > > I don't think it's long enough to rule it out -- clearly it wasn't so 100 > years ago. > I would not rule it out either but I dont presently rate it as likely. > The argument that it is impossible per so would seem unsustainable given the > history of the 20th century, so putting this through does seem to depend on > > (a) identifying some contingent feature of the modern world economy that > inhibits conflict > I think there is a feature that is not contingent but systematic at work, which is the spread of the capitalist mode of production and the political superstructues associated with this. There are no longer large areas with pre-capitalist state structures. These are the easiest for the most advanced powers to conquer. Now as German imperialism showed in the early 40's the fact that a country already has a capitalist state and basically capitalist mode of production does not prevent it being a victim of imperialist aggression, but such aggression is much more risky. Could you really see India or China becoming once more targets for land grabs by any of the OECD countries? -- Paul Cockshott, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland 0141 330 3125 mobile:07946 476966 paul@cockshott.com http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/people/personal/wpc/ http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~wpc/reports/index.html
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