NM's blog

This short book “restores to the word "imperialism" the force that liberal commentary has tried to drain from it: not a relic of pith helmets and colonial maps, but the living logic of a capitalist world system hurtling through war, genocide, ecological plunder and great-power rivalry.” The first trap the author warns us of is the liberal hypocrisy , “which recognises Russian aggression in Ukraine or Chinese threats towards Taiwan as imperialist, while treating Western wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria or Gaza as tragic mistakes committed in the name of higher ideals. “The second is "campist" fantasy, which sees every enemy of Washington as progressive by definition. “ To oppose NATO expansion does not require prettifying Russian imperialism. To oppose US encirclement of China does not require pretending Beijing is a socialist alternative. To defend Palestine does not require outsourcing liberation to regional states whose own ruling classes pursue power, mar...

Is the argument of Western politicians that the MENA region is not ready of 'democracy' still prevalent? The explicit argument by Western politicians that the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is inherently "not ready for democracy" has  largely receded from polite, official diplomatic rhetoric , but the core premise remains highly prevalent as an implicit driver of Western foreign policy. Rather than framing the issue as an cultural or societal deficit, contemporary Western leaders justify their backing of autocratic regimes through the lenses of  pragmatic stability, security, migration management, and economic self-interest .   The structural landscape of this political argument manifests through several distinct dynamics: 1. Shift from Cultural Incompatibility to "Crisis Management" The Post-Arab Spring Realism : Following the structural collapse of several democratic transitions after 2011 (e.g., Libya's prolonged instability and Tunisia...

I recall the French philosopher Alain Badiou arguing in one of his essays how the headscarf in France is tied to the free market, a market which wants to ban it. I would like to revisit Badiou's take on this. Explore how Badiou's contemporary Slavoj Žižek expanded on similar ideas regarding 'Islam' and capitalism. Although 'Islam' is not anti-capitalism per se! Islam is primarily the "religion of the poor". To what extent is that accurate in Western Europe in general? What is the role of religion and patriarchy? Muslim women are ordered or advised by their men not to work. Examining  labour statistics for Muslim women  in some European countries. 1. I recall the French philosopher Alain Badiou arguing in one of his essays how the headscarf in France is tied to the free market, a market which wants to ban it. I would like to revisit Badiou's take on this. You are remembering Alain Badiou’s highly provocative essay,  " The Law on the Headscarf i...