The Nexus of State and Corporate Power

By Aussiegirl

The rise of totalitarian nation-states that own the major and huge industries in their countries is an emerging trend. What we have increasingly is a global economy run by international corporations that do not adhere to or owe allegiance to any nation. In addition, these corporations are more likely to politically cooperate with totalitarian and repressive regimes than with open democracies simply because the democracies believe in freedom and do not place strictures or restrictions on these businesses. We may be already seeing that the future belongs to this combination of totalitarian corporate states dealing with international conglomerates to the detriment of freedom and open democracies.

After all, who did President Hu visit first? He visited with Bill Gates-- in the long run he has more in common with and more to gain from Bill Gates and his like than he does from President Bush. What leverage does the United States have any more? Our military, which is increasingly becoming a burden that will be hard to support economically, not to mention that we have no support from the other so-called European democracies -- because they too, in the long run, are more interested in cooperating with the terrorist totalitarian corporate states like Russia, China and Iran because they have the commodities that the Europeans need. America has a military -- and our non-manufacturing knowledge economy -- that's what we export -- our knowledge -- software,etc. -- but these intellectual non-material goods are easily stolen, and indeed are being stolen by these very corporate state conglomerates like China and Russia. Copyright laws only work so long as a majority of nations agree to enforce them -- because they themselves stand to benefit from those same copyright laws. But if the exports of those countries are manufactured goods and raw materials, they have no need of copyright laws -- and the knowledge and technical skills that they require they are happy to steal.

Eventually we will have a tyranny of a combination of totalitarian corporate states cooperating with hugh multinational global corporations who have no national allegiance. And the only cooperation that they will need to do is with the very repressive regimes -- because they want the business -- these corporations aren't American any more. Are we seeing the emergence of a 21st century kind of tyranny? A globalist,one world economy run by a combination of totalitarian corporate states and global corporations that have no allegiance? Where does that leave America? Alone -- and what does America have to base its continuing dominance and greatness on? Its military -- a military which is being challenged increasingly by a nuclear world with the likes of Iran and North Korea -- and by an emergent China and a resurgent Russia. Add in nations with huge oil reserves that are also headed for totalitarian Marxist nation-corporate statehood like Venezuela and Brazil -- and you may have a world which becomes LESS democratic and more repressive --while at the same time business will flourish. Have we seen the resurgence of communism -- only this time in a way that works. And the engine that drives it all will be the unceasing greed and enormous power of the multinational global corporation.

We've already seen how financial interests trumped geopolitical needs in the oil for food scandal -- we see also in Iran how the European,Chinese and Russians are in no mood to crack down on Iran because they need the oil. Similarly, we have already seen how Russia has ham-handedly (but so far successfully) used its gas and oil power to intimidate and blackmail other nations for political power and gain. China holds a huge trade deficit with the U.S. and currently holds half of our national debt. And what happens when America becomes completely devoid of manufacturing? When not only GM but Ford go out of business?What if there is a war? What if we need to suddenly churn out huge numbers of ships and tanks and humvees? Who will make them? In WWII we were able to turn on a dime and suddenly produce huge numbers of military vehicles and ships and speedily catch up to our needs. Could we do that in the future? When even the ammunition our men use is outsourced to other nations? America is becoming very dependent and highly vulnerable to a global economy that could quickly turn very hostile.