Friday, November 14, 2003
How big pharmaceutical companies control medicine
Doctors rely on information supplied, and research done, by major drugs companies: so 'Big Pharma' directly or indirectly influences the choice of prescriptions for patients. Some case notes on corruption of the medical profession by the big pharmaceutical companies are compiled in an article in this month's Le Monde Diplomatique.
Wednesday, November 05, 2003
Kipling, the ‘White Man’s Burden,’ and U.S. Imperialism
The editorial of the Monthly Review's November issue compares the recent war on Iraq with the Philippine-American war and other events in Philippine history:
The Philippine-American War is now being rediscovered as the closest approximation in U.S. history to the problems the United States is encountering in Iraq. Further, the United States has taken advantage of the September 11, 2001 attacks to intervene militarily not just in the Middle East but also around the globe—including the Philippines where it has deployed thousands of troops to aid the Philippine army in fighting Moro insurgents in the southern islands.
It's a long read but it's definitely worth the effort. For those who want to take a shortcut, here's the editorial team's conclusion:
The United States is now leading the way into a new phase of imperialism. This will be marked not only by increased conflict between center and periphery (...) but also by increased intercapitalist rivalry. This will likely speed up the long-run decline of the American Empire, rather than the reverse. And in this situation a call for a closing of the ranks between those of European extraction (...) is likely to become more appealing among U.S. and British elites. It should be remembered that Kipling’s “White Man’s Burden” was a call for the joint exploitation of the globe by what Du Bois was later to call “the white masters of the world” in the face of the ebbing of British fortunes. At no time, then, should we underestimate the three-fold threat of militarism, imperialism, and racism—or forget that capitalist societies have historically been identified with all three.
The Philippine-American War is now being rediscovered as the closest approximation in U.S. history to the problems the United States is encountering in Iraq. Further, the United States has taken advantage of the September 11, 2001 attacks to intervene militarily not just in the Middle East but also around the globe—including the Philippines where it has deployed thousands of troops to aid the Philippine army in fighting Moro insurgents in the southern islands.
It's a long read but it's definitely worth the effort. For those who want to take a shortcut, here's the editorial team's conclusion:
The United States is now leading the way into a new phase of imperialism. This will be marked not only by increased conflict between center and periphery (...) but also by increased intercapitalist rivalry. This will likely speed up the long-run decline of the American Empire, rather than the reverse. And in this situation a call for a closing of the ranks between those of European extraction (...) is likely to become more appealing among U.S. and British elites. It should be remembered that Kipling’s “White Man’s Burden” was a call for the joint exploitation of the globe by what Du Bois was later to call “the white masters of the world” in the face of the ebbing of British fortunes. At no time, then, should we underestimate the three-fold threat of militarism, imperialism, and racism—or forget that capitalist societies have historically been identified with all three.
