The Status of the Global Oligarchy
Global
Research, June 29, 2017
The
term oligarchy is derived from the Greek words meaning “rule or command by a few.” The term is generally used in the
derogatory sense to describe a tyrannical system that practices oppression to
ensure obedience. While oligarchies are generally associated with antiquity and
as being localized, many of today’s larger democracies can justifiably be
called oligarchies. The following is a brief discourse on how modern oligarchs
manage control over societies, using power exercised through economic and
political means. Today the global oligarchy is controlled by a few hundred
families.
Many modern democracies are systems
where the actual differences between political rivals are very small, and in
these systems the oligarchic elite impose strict limits on what constitutes an
acceptable and respectable political position. As for the “politicians”, their
careers depend heavily on unelected economic, political, and media elites.
Therefore, we have the popular saying, “There
is only one political party.” An oligarchy, as we know, is a governing
structure in which power effectively rests with a small number of people. These
people could be distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, education,
corporate, or military control, and so on. In these governing structures
control is maintained by a few prominent families who typically pass their
influence from one generation to the next. But, inherited power is not the only
means of transference.
While oligarchies are often controlled
by a few powerful families whose children are reared and mentored to become
inheritors of power, this power is not always exercised openly, and most
oligarchs prefer to remain “the power behind the throne,” so to speak. Perhaps
the best example of such a family, the Rothschild’s continue the long tradition
of innovation based on a steady accrual, over more than two centuries, of
expertise, experience, and immeasurable wealth. Their businesses continue to be
at the forefront of global financial and commercial activities.
There are other “oligarchs” also in
control however, but in addition to the “old money” influences, the oligarchs
have now created a “new money” cabal of influencerswho play an ever-increasing
role economically, politically, and at the structural level as well.
“Unlimited” money, whether it is old or new, exerts a massive force. As an
example of how money plays a role in the American system, a radio interview on
the Thom Hartmann Program in July 2015 featured former president Jimmy Carter saying that the United
States is now an oligarchy in which “unlimited
political bribery” has created “a complete subversion of our political
system as a payoff to major contributors.” According to the former president,
both Democrats and Republicans, Carter said, “look upon this unlimited money as a great benefit to themselves.”
President Carter is not alone in his
assertions. Other contemporary authors have also characterized current
conditions in the United States and Western Europe as being oligarchic in
nature. One, Jeffrey A. Winters, PhD
Yale, 1991, professor of political science at Northwestern University and
author of Oligarchy, argues that
“oligarchy
and democracy operate within a single system, and American politics is a daily
display of their interplay.”
Of course, there are many others among
today’s great thinkers who profess oligarchs essentially rule us. Through the
watchful eyes of independent media and academics willing to voice their
dissent, the reality of the global oligarchy comes into view. While most people
have always understood that the rich rule, most shy away from believing in a
truly Orwellian control conspiracy. The fact is, oligarchies exist in small towns,
large cities, and in countries today, and we really do have an alliance of
oligarchic dynasties that is global.
Not only do these modern oligarchs
exert control over the governmental tiers, they also influence the philosophy
and ideas nurtured in academia, through social institutions, and especially the
policy institutions of the world. One example was recently outlined by Author Steven MacMillan, who’s editor of the
Analyst Report, who went
so far as to suggest that institutions like the Council on Foreign
Relations, are in fact “part of a shadowy
network of private organizations that stretches across the globe to influence
policy of most nation states.”
While the mainstream insists
anti-oligarch voices are merely conspiracy theorists, hundreds of experts are
now revealing the truth of this “1984” system bent on complete takeover. In a
Guardian piece from 2015, author Seumas
Milne framed the argument that:
“Escalating
inequality is the work of a global elite that will resist every challenge to
its vested interests.”
He goes on to briefly outline the
dysfunctional systems these oligarchs have set in place for decades now, but
what’s significant about his report is the ever increasing greed of these
elites. As world systems, markets, and resources contract and become depleted,
the oligarchs feel the pressure to extract still more from us. The simple way
of putting this is to frame them as “addicts of growth”, or insatiable tyrants
when all is said and done. When solutions for rising inequality are suggested,
those in power balk at every turn these days. Austerity, increased tax burdens
on the middle and lower classes, still more borrowing at the national and
corporate level, even war with Russia over resources seem to be on the table to
prop up this oligarchy. Many experts contend that it was this global elite’s
unrealistic response to the changing global landscape that caused most of
today’s geo-political crises.
There is some good news however.
Although the global oligarchy aims to have total control of the world, it has
not yet reached that goal. This oligarchy is not monolithic, there is
competition among them and turf warfare. This can be seen in the competition
for resources and wealth worldwide, and especially in the new anti-Russia
propaganda. The oligarchs are infighting in many cases, the Ukraine situation
represents a good case study for this. So, this infighting, along with
individual opposition via economic and political factions, tends to block the
global oligarchy from cementing full control. Furthermore, grassroots citizen
movements are attempting to oppose these modern aristocrats as well, and
together the movements have the ability awaken the greater citizenry and
challenge the oligarchy.
Featured
image from Joe Schueller / CC BY 2.0
The
original source of this article is Global Research
Copyright ©
Francesca de Bardin,
Global Research, 2017
No comments:
Post a Comment