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[Sheldon
S. Wolin is emeritus professor of politics at Princeton
University]
SHELDON
S. WOLIN, NEWSDAY - No administration before George W. Bush's ever
claimed such sweeping powers for an enterprise as vaguely defined
as the "war against terrorism" and the "axis of
evil." Nor has one begun to consume such an enormous amount
of the nation's resources for a mission whose end would be
difficult to recognize even if achieved.
Like
previous forms of totalitarianism, the Bush administration boasts
a reckless unilateralism that believes the United States can
demand unquestioning support on terms it dictates; ignores
treaties and violates international law at will; invades other
countries without provocation; and incarcerates persons
indefinitely without charging them with a crime or allowing access
to counsel.
The
drive toward total power can take different forms, as Mussolini's
Italy, Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union suggest.
The
American system is evolving its own form: "inverted
totalitarianism." This has no official doctrine of racism or
extermination camps but, as described above, it displays similar
contempt for restraints.
It
also has an upside-down character. For instance, the Nazis focused
upon mobilizing and unifying the society, maintaining a continuous
state of war preparations and demanding enthusiastic participation
from the populace. In contrast, inverted totalitarianism exploits
political apathy and encourages divisiveness. The turnout for a
Nazi plebiscite was typically 90 percent or higher; in a good
election year in the United States, participation is about 50
percent.
Another
example: The Nazis abolished the parliamentary system, instituted
single-party rule and controlled all forms of public
communication. It is possible, however, to reach a similar result
without seeming to suppress. An elected legislature is retained
but a system of corruption (lobbyists, campaign contributions,
payoffs to powerful interests) short-circuits the connection
between voters and their representatives. The system responds
primarily to corporate interests; voters become cynical, resigned;
and opposition seems futile.
While
Nazi control of the media meant that only the "official
story" was communicated, that result is approximated by
encouraging concentrated ownership of the media and thereby
narrowing the range of permissible opinions.
This
can be augmented by having "homeland security" envelop
the entire nation with a maze of restrictions and by instilling
fear among the general population by periodic alerts raised
against a background ofeconomic uncertainty, unemployment,
downsizing and cutbacks in services.
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0718-07.htm
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