Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 02:16:21 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jivko Georgiev <jivkox43georgiev-AT-yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: recent events


 "The US (unlike Afghanistan which is of course *more*
than open 
to criticism!) is currently the most powerful country
-economically, 
militarily and culturally in the world arena." 
Some advises how to become the most powerful nation -
You go to Bulgaria, for example, and say to the
governement:
"If you dont sell us your power plants , you got
yourself big trouble." 
The reason for that action: we supply whole turkey
with electricity, believe it or not.
But then again, there are american company, who feeds
a whole region of our country...

Regards!
jIVKO 






> I was aware  that I was leaving myself open to this
> kind of criticism 
> when I made my remarks. However I would like to say
> a few things 
> here. The US (unlike Afghanistan which is of course
> *more* than open 
> to criticism!) is currently the most powerful
> country -economically, 
> militarily and culturally in the world arena. It
> also purports to 
> play a world leadership role. This has very
> practical effects on 
> those living in other countries which those living
> in the US might 
> not be aware of. Just to use the example of even a
> 1st world country 
> like Australia - since the Bush administration came
> into power the 
> Australian dollar has plummeted on the world market
> making it 
> difficult for ordinary people to travel out of the
> country and making 
> American as well as other imported goods (of which
> there are many) 
> very expensive. Australian cinemas and tv channels
> are flooded with 
> American films and tv shows and have been for years.
> The Prime 
> Minister was in the US last week when everything
> happened to ratify a 
> military treaty with the US. (He had to return home
> without doing 
> this). Australians are affected by US leadership,
> foreign policy and 
> culture at a very practical day to day level in ways
> they can't 
> escape.
> 
> One can also draw attention to the impact of English
> language culture 
> in non English speaking countries. Given these
> circumstances, the 
> rest of the world watches anxiously during US
> elections to see what 
> political leadership is voted in and hopes that the
> response of that 
> leadership on the world stage will be enlightened
> and moderate. Bush 
> appears to have toned down some of his initial
> remarks which is a 
> relief to the many people who are very worried about
> the potential 
> for world conflict in response to recent events. One
> of the few 
> avenues of influence non Americans have in these
> contexts is to open 
> questions for discussion. (terrorism is not power -
> it is about 
> violence and the limits of power - Foucault makes a
> clear distinction 
> here) If one country is able to exercise as much
> power as the US is, 
> the rest of the world is quite within its rights to
> raise questions 
> for discussion about its foreign policy, civic
> education and 
> electoral systems. Indeed I think these questions
> should be discussed 
> in relation to *every* society and not necessarily
> just by members of 
> those societies. No society is exempt from
> criticism.
> 
> The US also claims to be a democracy and much has
> been made of this 
> during recent events. One notes however that only a
> small percentage 
> - 30% (does anyone have the right figures here?) -
> of the potential 
> voting public actually voted in the last
> presidential elections and 
> then there was the saga over the vote counting...
> What are we to make 
> of this disjunction between the rhetoric and the
> practice?
> 
> >
> >The distinction between state-sponsored and
> non-state sponsored terrorism
> >is porous. Surely a list where the distinction
> between private and public
> >decisions in capitalist societies is treated with
> skepticism should show
> >similar skepticism about terrorists who could not
> flourish without being
> >harbored by a host country.
> 
> I agree with you on this and offer a useful citation
> from Foucault 
> here. I still think in the interests of the
> avoidance of global 
> conflict that a distinction does need to be made.
> Even if terror 
> potentially lies at the heart of the state power,
> one needs to limit 
> this tendency and not respond with terror to terror
> in escalating 
> spirals.  Foucault remarks 'In a more general way,
> terror is revealed 
> as the most fundamental mechanism of the dominant
> class in the 
> exercise  of its power, its domination, its power of
> persuasi0n and 
> its tyranny'. (1976) 'Le savoir comme crime', in
> Dits et Ecrits, t. 
> III. Paris: Gallimard, 1994.  p.83.
> 
> 
> At 21:24 +0200 14/9/01, Erik Hoogcarspel wrote:
> >I don't think elections have anything to do with
> it.
> 
> snip
> 
> >To achieve this, U.S. policy will probably have to
> change. It must become more
> >respectful, more supportive, and more polite, less
> directive, less 
> >hypocrite and
> >less selfish. Self-respect is easy and useless, you
> have to earn respect  from
> >others. This is very difficult for a country full
> of cowboy and countryboy
> >sentimentalism, full of obsession by violence and
> small town protestantism. I
> >think the change has to come from education..
> 
> I agree change has to come from education and
> educated people are in 
> a better position to vote for more enlightened
> leaders who can play 
> their part in contributing to the reduction of
> levels of hatred and 
> exploitation of human beings in every country.
> 
> I would like to make a final comment on the
> inspiring courage and 
> hard work of all the rescue workers, fireman and
> doctors and others. 
> As one journalist remarked it draws attention,
> particularly within 
> the context of budget cuts, to how heavily the rest
> of the social 
> body relies on these infrastructures in these
> situations. To bring in 
> the Foucauldian connection here - check out
> Foucault's excellent 
> short review of a book on firefighters  and their
> social role (1975) 
> 'Un pompier vend la  mche', in Dits et ecrits,
> Paris: Gallimard, 
> 1994, t.II, pp. 698-702.
> -- 
> Clare
> ************************************************
> Clare  O'Farrell
> email: panopticon1-AT-iprimus.com.au
> website: http://home.iprimus.com.au/panopticon1/
> ************************************************


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