The problem is as this article alludes, the defense-industrial capitalists (industrial capital) is fighting fin-capital but industrial capital has all the organs of actual state violence in their corner and pocket. Germany’s capitalists not liking this doesn’t matter because Germany is subordinated completely to the interests of the US and will commit economic suicide if so-ordered.
I don’t see a way out for the European capitalists to regain control. The US had and still likely has Gladio type stuff that can be activated. They spy extensively on leadership (Snowden), likely have blackmail rings, extensive blackmail material (Epstein stuff and more mundane but no less illegal and scandalous stuff), plus the fact they have literally occupied these countries. They control their military commands, have loyalty from their military commanders, their intelligence officials. They are I think powerless vassals who strain as they might cannot break the leash and bonds tying them to the US. Their interests do not matter. Nothing has happened as a result of Nordstream being blown up and German capital suffering greatly as a consequence. Nothing will happen.
In the US the situation is also not good. Financial-capital does not control the military, doesn’t have the friends the defense-industrial-capitalists have in military, intelligence, politics, etc.
If I were China I would not count on these capitalists having enough power to stop or meaningfully slow this machine as it turns in desperation to preserve itself.
It still has options. It still has life. It could subordinate Europe further, turn it into a cheap manufacturing hub, destroy living conditions domestically in the US, depress wages, try and bring back manufacturing in that way. I’m not saying it would be easy but it’s foolish to think that they have no idea what they’re doing. It won’t be an easy process like globalization into China in the first place for profit was, it will be hard and done kicking and screaming but it could happen. It might accelerate the conditions for eventual revolution in the core but it would still place such a thing probably decades off and it’s a do or die thing for them as if they don’t do this they absolutely lose.
Jake Sullivan, Biden’s advisor for example has been openly talking about these types of plans. They are not blindly walking into the trap or helplessly wringing their hands and gnashing teeth.
I do think westerners are indoctrinated enough that they can proceed with their plans. They can force Europe to decouple by forcing a military confrontation with China and involving Europe then appealing to “liberal values” for solidarity against China while they continue to do trade (albeit limited as much as they can) with China which will hurt China and Europe but spare the US. Importantly if Europeans react by say electing rightist populists, many if not most or all of those will be under the US thumb when they enter office or shortly after, they’ll allow that and have them deflect by going after immigrants, minorities, etc and use that to distract the public.
They gut-punched France with the submarine deal with Australia and they just have to take it. They’ve done it in other sectors with encouraging countries to decouple on a limited basis and stepping in to take their place (US wine exports I think going up to China after China retaliated against Australian producers is one example).
Thing is that you can’t run a country solely on the war industry, and as the standard of living continues to collapse there is going to be more and more civil unrest across the west. Neocons will undoubtedly keep control in the near future, but that’s just going to continue to sharpen the contradictions within western societies.
If the US goes through and destroys Europe’s economy by forcing them to decouple first as I mentioned they’ll have European exports and perhaps even cheap or at least reasonable imports as Europe will have no one else left to turn to after being barred from business with China. So they may be counting on doing something like that to ease things over and as they occupy Europe and control it through other means, dissent can be channeled into rightist nationalists already under their thumb who scape-goat and distract or simply violently quashed. It’s all time-buying stuff, the question is how much time and what can they accomplish in that because they do I assume have designs beyond buying time and hoping China cracks.
Admittedly China does have internal problems. Not to the level of the USSR but many people there are liberals or apolitical and potentially open to liberalism and counter-revolution should the economy tank and material conditions deteriorate.
USSR collapse and subsequent looting of the fledgling states bought USA thirty years of unchallenged hegemony. Now I don’t know too much about European industry and such, but looting Europe might buy them another decade or two. Time enough for the current crop of bourgeoisie to die peacefully and filthy rich, and that’s likely all they care about. Après nous le déluge and all that
Absolutely. And it prevents them from forming a powerhouse alliance with China or Russia so consolidates power back under their control and leaves them as vassals for military recruits, plundering intelligent people to lure back to the core with jobs to consolidate tech monopoly, etc. It also may force Europe in desperation to try increasing their plunder and destabilizing of Africa to try and stay afloat themselves which would be to the US benefit as China is trying to make in-roads there and if Europe launches an all out assault on Africa, installing puppets, destabilization, plunder of resources, simply encouraging terrorism and instability, that sabotages an important source of resources, market, etc for China which stifles their rise.
I admit I also wonder if some of these bourgeoisie haven’t struck a deal (likely in their minds only but perhaps with verbal understandings with Chinese government officials) with China. More wealth and earnings for them via investment and so on in exchange trying to sabotage any cold war efforts. Musk comes to mind as while he’s annoying he also upsets liberals and the current hegemony of the US by for example censoring and destroying Twitter which was a US influence and regime-change OP for middle eastern client states of the US that are seeking increasing distance from them and towards China. Maybe it’s just opportunistic angling as things shift but there look to be several members of the bourgeoisie who are not only benefiting from the status quo but willing to throw some chips in with China and multi-polarity. Maybe just as a way of hedging bets.
The problem is as this article alludes, the defense-industrial capitalists (industrial capital) is fighting fin-capital but industrial capital has all the organs of actual state violence in their corner and pocket. Germany’s capitalists not liking this doesn’t matter because Germany is subordinated completely to the interests of the US and will commit economic suicide if so-ordered.
I don’t see a way out for the European capitalists to regain control. The US had and still likely has Gladio type stuff that can be activated. They spy extensively on leadership (Snowden), likely have blackmail rings, extensive blackmail material (Epstein stuff and more mundane but no less illegal and scandalous stuff), plus the fact they have literally occupied these countries. They control their military commands, have loyalty from their military commanders, their intelligence officials. They are I think powerless vassals who strain as they might cannot break the leash and bonds tying them to the US. Their interests do not matter. Nothing has happened as a result of Nordstream being blown up and German capital suffering greatly as a consequence. Nothing will happen.
In the US the situation is also not good. Financial-capital does not control the military, doesn’t have the friends the defense-industrial-capitalists have in military, intelligence, politics, etc.
If I were China I would not count on these capitalists having enough power to stop or meaningfully slow this machine as it turns in desperation to preserve itself.
It still has options. It still has life. It could subordinate Europe further, turn it into a cheap manufacturing hub, destroy living conditions domestically in the US, depress wages, try and bring back manufacturing in that way. I’m not saying it would be easy but it’s foolish to think that they have no idea what they’re doing. It won’t be an easy process like globalization into China in the first place for profit was, it will be hard and done kicking and screaming but it could happen. It might accelerate the conditions for eventual revolution in the core but it would still place such a thing probably decades off and it’s a do or die thing for them as if they don’t do this they absolutely lose.
Jake Sullivan, Biden’s advisor for example has been openly talking about these types of plans. They are not blindly walking into the trap or helplessly wringing their hands and gnashing teeth.
I do think westerners are indoctrinated enough that they can proceed with their plans. They can force Europe to decouple by forcing a military confrontation with China and involving Europe then appealing to “liberal values” for solidarity against China while they continue to do trade (albeit limited as much as they can) with China which will hurt China and Europe but spare the US. Importantly if Europeans react by say electing rightist populists, many if not most or all of those will be under the US thumb when they enter office or shortly after, they’ll allow that and have them deflect by going after immigrants, minorities, etc and use that to distract the public.
They gut-punched France with the submarine deal with Australia and they just have to take it. They’ve done it in other sectors with encouraging countries to decouple on a limited basis and stepping in to take their place (US wine exports I think going up to China after China retaliated against Australian producers is one example).
Thing is that you can’t run a country solely on the war industry, and as the standard of living continues to collapse there is going to be more and more civil unrest across the west. Neocons will undoubtedly keep control in the near future, but that’s just going to continue to sharpen the contradictions within western societies.
If the US goes through and destroys Europe’s economy by forcing them to decouple first as I mentioned they’ll have European exports and perhaps even cheap or at least reasonable imports as Europe will have no one else left to turn to after being barred from business with China. So they may be counting on doing something like that to ease things over and as they occupy Europe and control it through other means, dissent can be channeled into rightist nationalists already under their thumb who scape-goat and distract or simply violently quashed. It’s all time-buying stuff, the question is how much time and what can they accomplish in that because they do I assume have designs beyond buying time and hoping China cracks.
Admittedly China does have internal problems. Not to the level of the USSR but many people there are liberals or apolitical and potentially open to liberalism and counter-revolution should the economy tank and material conditions deteriorate.
USSR collapse and subsequent looting of the fledgling states bought USA thirty years of unchallenged hegemony. Now I don’t know too much about European industry and such, but looting Europe might buy them another decade or two. Time enough for the current crop of bourgeoisie to die peacefully and filthy rich, and that’s likely all they care about. Après nous le déluge and all that
Absolutely. And it prevents them from forming a powerhouse alliance with China or Russia so consolidates power back under their control and leaves them as vassals for military recruits, plundering intelligent people to lure back to the core with jobs to consolidate tech monopoly, etc. It also may force Europe in desperation to try increasing their plunder and destabilizing of Africa to try and stay afloat themselves which would be to the US benefit as China is trying to make in-roads there and if Europe launches an all out assault on Africa, installing puppets, destabilization, plunder of resources, simply encouraging terrorism and instability, that sabotages an important source of resources, market, etc for China which stifles their rise.
I admit I also wonder if some of these bourgeoisie haven’t struck a deal (likely in their minds only but perhaps with verbal understandings with Chinese government officials) with China. More wealth and earnings for them via investment and so on in exchange trying to sabotage any cold war efforts. Musk comes to mind as while he’s annoying he also upsets liberals and the current hegemony of the US by for example censoring and destroying Twitter which was a US influence and regime-change OP for middle eastern client states of the US that are seeking increasing distance from them and towards China. Maybe it’s just opportunistic angling as things shift but there look to be several members of the bourgeoisie who are not only benefiting from the status quo but willing to throw some chips in with China and multi-polarity. Maybe just as a way of hedging bets.