RE: [OPE] Britain--parasitic and decaying capitalism: A comment

If you were talking about Sweden the time of Gustavus Adolphus perhaps but now?

You seem to be saying that any highly productive capitalist economy is imperialist -- this drains the term of most of its original meaning. Do you suggest that Sweden is likely to go to war with Danemark over the division of the Baltic?
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From: ope-bounces@lists.csuchico.edu [ope-bounces@lists.csuchico.edu] On Behalf Of GERALD LEVY [gerald_a_levy@msn.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 1:27 PM
To: Outline on Political Economy mailing list
Subject: RE: [OPE] Britain--parasitic and decaying capitalism: A comment

> Surely the difference is pragmatic. A state becomes imperialistic once it> has the political or military might along with the motive to impose
> governments of its own chosing in other countries.

Hi Paul C:

I think you place above too heavy a determining role on state policies.
Yes, obviously, there's a connection under imperialism between
capital and the state, but imperialism is not a state-form. And
imperialism can - and does - exist even where states are not able
to impose governments on other countries through military or other
means. I think you are confusing one form of imperialism with
imperialism in general under late capitalism.

Let's take an example: Sweden. I would say that Sweden *IS* an
imperialist nation - even though it does not have an aggressive
and expansionist military and does not have the will or the
ability to impose governments on other nations. To understand
how a country like Sweden, Canada, New Zealand, Australia,
Switzerland, Belgium, etc. are currently imperialist (rather
than simply former colonial powers) you have to look at a number
of economic relationships including finance capital, foreign
investment, and other factors. "Neo-colonialism" is, I think, a
useful concept to understand here as it relates to non-
imperialist nations.

In solidarity, Jerry _______________________________________________
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Received on Wed Jan 13 11:14:49 2010