Re: poly: Civil empire

Damien R. Sullivan writes:
> I suggested some time ago that much of Africa and the Middle East
> suggest that colonialism ended too early,

I'm pretty much a purist when it comes to my anarchism -- I'm not a
believer in any sort of government, let alone a colonial one imposed
from the outside.

> As for the standard objections to invading other countries, I think
> there's a chance they're partly misguided.

I'm generally against interfering in the lives of others, countries
included. Those who think they can help others should probably keep
their ideas about how to do it in books of advice, rather than
attempting to impose them by force.

The main result of the British occupations you speak so admiringly of
has been ethnic bloodshed (Hindus vs. Muslims, Catholics
vs. Protestants, Jews vs. Arabs, etc.), and horror of various
sorts. In my opinion, the notion that one can improve the lives of
others by force is just another version of the technocratic fantasy
that experts can calculate better than markets. Even a "benevolent"
dictatorship is still a dictatorship.

.pm
Received on Tue Apr 21 22:08:25 1998