Don’t Rule the World

     It has felt brazen to carry around a new book titled How to Rule the World: The Coming Battle over the Global Economy, but author Mark Engler’s formulation for ruling the world boils down to: Don’t Do It. At least, don’t let the Clintonian neoliberal capitalists rule the world, and don’t let the Bushian imperialists rule it, either. Engler argues there’s a viable and much better alternative: pursue democracy and economic well-being for communities, native populations and working people around the world. And pursue and pursue some more, one has to believe, because we’ll never actually arrive at the destination. 

     Engler’s analysis emphasizes the double assault inflicted on the global trade ethos of the Clinton era by two forces. One was epitomized by the invasion of Iraq, which was a wielding of military power that sharply deviated from the use of economic power by President Clinton and cost the United States many friends. The other blow was a combination of economic collapses and mass protests that exposed the failures, even cruelty, of much of the global economic order. One result, Engler says, is that the International Monetary Fund and related multi-national economic organizations have lost a lot of credibility. At the same time, populists have gained some political and economic power, especially in Latin America. 

     Engler wants his readers to believe that the highly diverse and localized people’s movements around the globe can do more for struggling humanity than the American-led corporate and militarist elites who’ve had their turns at power since the collapse of the Soviet Union. He does make a strong case that movements can successfully resist such outrages as saddling impoverished countries with the debts of their former corrupt rulers. He does not, however, explain how the movements he admires could come together to actually rule the world. But, then, maybe the point is that they’re not supposed to.

– Evan / Business, Science & Technology Dept.