Re: nettime: The Capitalist Threat, NGOs and Soros

[Mark Stahlman (via RadioMail) <stahlman@radiomail.net>]

Folks:

Tsk, tsk and tally-ho!

Could it be that the Economist didn't understand what Soros wrote?  Could
it be that they decided to argue against a strawman of their own invention?
 Are they ducking what Soros is getting at?

The Economist defends Hayekian laissez-faire with one of those typical, "it
much more complicated than that" responses.  (Rather like Brit-WIRED Hari
did --  who, BTW, is now back to freelancing since WIRED closed down their
BRIT-issue).  Meanwhile they have completely missed his main point (on
purpose?).

Soros is talking about the WORLD not about this or that national election. 
He is talking about the global instability that arises from independent
soveriegn nations pursuing their own growth plans.  He is speaking about
China and Iran and Turkey and Central Europe.   Surely the Economist has
heard of these places and is familiar with their policies.

Did the Economist read the crucial quote which  I cited?  You would have to
say no based on their reply.

Yes, Soros is likely to be listened to because he's rich.  But he got rich
doing what?  Playing one nation off against another . . .  not making
refrigerators.  He is speaking as someone who thinks of themself as above
and beyond national soveriegnty.  He is speaking as someone who is
committed to destabilize nation-states.  He's not delivering an economics
lecture; he's discussing global anti-nation-state policy.  And, he is
correctly noting that laissez-faire does NOT provide solutions in this
global realm.

The future being designed for us is *both* global eco-fascism and local
laissez-faire.  Yin and Yang.  "Stewards" and "Extropians."  Global/tribal.
 Apparently this is just too much for the Economist to deal with.  What's
the cricket term?  They swung and missed.

Mark Stahlman
New Media Associates
New York City
newmedia@mcimail.com
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