[R-G] (Pakistan) Foreign scholars say US hegemony to give way soon

[Anthony Fenton]

Foreign scholars say US hegemony to give way soon
Wednesday, 16 July 2008 17:22 www.daily.pk
http://www.daily.pk/world/worldnews/84-worldnews/5722-foreign-scholars-say-us-hegemony-to-give-way-soon-.html

Two foreign scholars, who participated in a public talk given at the  
Institute of Strategic Studies, on Tuesday, agreed with the  
proposition that current US policies were no longer sustainable, and  
bound to give way, soon.

The two scholars, American Robert Jensen and Canadian Professor Justin  
Podur read out a long charge sheet against American hegemonic  
tendencies, and the trappings of an empire it had taken in recent  
years, especially after the 9/11 tragedy. In their view the present  
American policy was to control world resources but raised several  
other issues.

Two more Pakistani participants, former Additional Secretary Khalid  
Mahmood, president of the meeting, as well as ISS director general, Dr  
Tanvir Ahmad, also held similar views.

While speaking on "Multiple Crises of Empire", Texas University  
Professor Robert Jensen raised the question of whether the USA would  
also take the planet with it? During the talk Jenson also turned to  
Pakistan audience and asked "whether they would continue to  
collaborate with the empire".

The four scholars were unanimous that the USA was on a destructive  
course after it had adopted the policy of an American century, in  
1997, and strategy of controlling politics and economics of other  
countries. However, each of the four speakers came to the same  
conclusion: that the USA was bound to give way, soon.

Dr Justin Podur, referring to the double standard in American  
dealings, said it had militarily encircled the world with more than  
700 air bases and had politicised international law in a selective  
way. Arguing that technology would not solve the problems, the  
Canadian scholar also contended that the US was bad samaritan, and its  
multinational corporations had politicised nature.

These companies were engaged in a system of plunder, and destroying  
the ecology of the world, the scholar said, and resources were getting  
depleted. He also mentioned that the world was facing a deficit of  
agriculture, through the degradation of soil capacity, as well as  
food, water, and oil.

American scholar Robert Jensen's view about the USA was a more  
iconoclastic one. Referring to the generally held opinion that the USA  
had changed after the horrendous 9/11 tragedy, he said in fact nothing  
had changed.

"The USA was always a unilateral country, it attacked Vietnam in  
violation of international law, and constitutional rights of citizen  
had been curbed after 9/11 and there was a spurt of repression. One  
could not be republican in character and rule an empire at the same  
time, " he added.

Jenson agreed that the USA was an affluent country, but the affluence  
has made American citizens "stupid". Holding the American media  
responsible for a moral decay in the pursuit of public policies, the  
media has given the American government unparalleled control over the  
thinking of the people, through subtle methods such as advertising,  
marketing and public relations.

Referring to the keyword of labour and consumerism, the present  
hallmark of the American society, he remarked "you work to consume  
more; that has become the reason for your living." This could not go  
on for long, Jensen believed, and the solution is to return to  
spirituality in the conduct of men, adding that "the nature always  
bats last."

However, the Institute's director general, Dr Tanvir Ahmad Khan,  
believed in the infinite goodness of American citizens. He spoke of  
insurgencies already afoot against the current America policies. "We  
can see this in the rank anti-Americanism prevalent through out the  
world although the country exercised influence over each one of them."  
No country could think of concluding a long-term relationship with it.

"The countries were never sure when it would leave them in the lurch."  
Dr Tanvir Ahmad was confident that a sentiment of multi-polar world is  
emerging, and, that "ultimately the USA would see the wisdom of  
ecology issues and also adopt the Tokyo treaty on climate change."