From: GERALD LEVY (gerald_a_levy@msn.com)
Date: Tue Mar 04 2008 - 15:35:50 EST
Hi Dave Z: I don't think that imperialism can be reduced simply to one state trying to control a foreign society. What was missing from your prior definition of imperialism was incorporating the _economic_ relationships associated with imperialism: in that sense, I think it is a kind of pre-Hobsonian understanding. > It is of course debatable to what extent their policies are > 'imperialist' --- to what extent one is helping or controlling > communities. But my guess is that a significant fraction of the Lebanese > population thinks the Iranian state is trying to control their society. The overwhelming amount of people in Lebanon, I think, understand that it is _US_ imperialism which props up the current government. And, in any event, the idea that the Iranian state has some measurable influence over Lebanese politics is a fundamental mis-reading of the situation, especially insofar as it concerns the political orientation and policies of Hezbollah. > Perhaps the same goes for the people of Taiwan and the Chinese state. That would be like saying that Bolshevik "imperialists" were responsible for subjugating the Czar and his supporters or that the anti-apartheid "imperialists" in South Africa are responsible for oppressing the domestic beneficiaries of apartheid. In other words, it would be a historically twisted perception. In solidarity, Jerry _______________________________________________ ope mailing list ope@lists.csuchico.edu https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/ope
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