Foster JB - The Rediscovery of Imperialism

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1、ROM.qxd10/7/0210:38AMPage1REVIEWOFTHEMONTHTheRediscoveryofImperialismJOHNBELLAMYFOSTERTheconceptof“imperialism”wasconsideredoutsidetheacceptablerangeofpoliticaldiscoursewithintherulingcirclesofthecapitalistworldformostofthetwentiethcentury.Referenceto“imperialism

2、”duringtheVietnamWar,nomatterhowrealistic,wasalmostalwaysasignthatthewriterwasontheleftsideofthepoliticalspectrum.Ina1971forewordtotheU.S.editionofPierreJalée’sImperialismintheSeventiesHarryMagdoffnoted,“Asarule,politeacademicscholarsprefernottousetheterm‘imperia

3、lism.’Theyfinditdistastefulandunscientific.”Todaythisissuddenlynolongertrue.U.S.intellectualsandthepoliticalelitearewarmlyembracinganopenly“imperialist”or“neoim-perialist”missionfortheUnitedStates,repeatedlyenunciatedinsuchprestigiousprintmediaastheNewYorkTimesan

4、dForeignAffairs.ThisimperialistfervorowesmuchtotheBushadministration’sWaronTerrorism,whichistakingtheformoftheconquestandoccupationofAfghanistanand—ifitsambitionsarefulfilled—alsoIraq.AccordingtotheBushadministration’sNationalSecurityStrategy,therearenorec-ognize

5、dlimitsorboundariestotheuseofmilitarypowertopromotetheinterestsoftheUnitedStates.InthefaceofthisattempttoextendwhatcanonlybecalledtheAmericanEmpire,intellectualsandpoliti-calfiguresarenotonlyreturningtotheideaofimperialism,butalsototheviewofitpropoundedbyitsearli

6、ernineteenthcenturyproponentsasconstitutingagrandcivilizingmission.ComparisonsoftheUnitedStatestoImperialRomeandImperialBritainarenowcommonwithinthemainstreampress.Allthatisneededtomakeitcompletelyservice-ableistoridtheconceptofitsoldMarxistassociationsofeconomic

7、hierarchyandexploitation—nottomentionracism.AccordingtoMichaelIgnatieff,ProfessorofHumanRightsPolicyatThisessaywasoriginallywrittenastheintroductiontoEssaysonImperialismandGlobalizationbyHarryMagdoff,forthcomingfromCornerstonePublicationsinIndia.1ROM.qxd10/7/0210

8、:38AMPage22MONTHLYREVIEW/NOVEMBER2002theKennedySchoolofGovernment,HarvardUniversity,writingintheNewYorkTimesMagazine(July28,2002),“[I]mperialismusedtobethewhit