Friends, The three parts of the book stand independently of one another... - Part I is about "the problem" - today's capitalist world - Part II is about "the vision" - sustainable, democratic societies - Part III is about "the how" - a transformative global movement The analysis in Part I may be useful to you, even if you don't like the 'vision' or the 'how'. Similarly, the 'vision' might be useful, even if you don't agree with the analysis of the 'problem'. And the 'how' might be of value, even if you have a different analysis and different goals. But the three together, hopefully, have a value which goes beyond the sum of the parts. The dire conclusions in the analysis provide a _motivation to consider alternative visions. The appeal and practicality of the 'vision' give _hope that a better world is possible. The strategic considerations in the 'how' provide _guidance so as to avoid the pitfalls that have defeated so many movements in the past. One publisher - who was generally supportive of the project - rejected the book proposal on the basis that a single book simply could not cover this much ground. He may be 'right' in some sense, but I just can't bring myself to separate them. Even though they are academically independent - as a political document they form an organic whole. Part II is sketchy. It will probably double in size in order to have sufficient examples, references, etc. However, for this audience (you all), it is probably better in this sketchy form. The basic thread of argument is complete, and you can see it more plainly (and with less reading) in its current form. _Please, if you have criticisms or suggestions, _do send them in, either to me or, if appropriate, to the list. best regards, rkm ============================================================================ Achieving a Livable, Peaceful World http://cyberjournal.org/cdr/alpw/alpw.html Part II - Introduction - preliminary Copyright 1998 by Richard K. Moore 15 September 1998 - 509 words comments to: •••@••.••• ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Part II - Envisioning a livable world: an inquiry into democracy, sustainability, and world order ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Introduction - Is there any hope for humanity? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Part I examined the path on which the world is currently headed under the control of the well-entrenched, Western capitalist elite oligarchy. Societies and economies are being systematically and intentionally destroyed by free trade polices and by interventions of the IMF. A global economy is being imposed on the world which is rapidly being dominated by a handful of TNC megacorps. A de facto world government has been established which serves TNC interests, has no democratic representation whatever, and which is backed by Western military power. The Earth is being poisoned and its irreplaceable resources are being squandered in the pursuit of never-ending capital growth. Poverty, starvation, and disease are becoming rampant worldwide while a global regime of KulturKampf is being established to maintain world order in the midst of ongoing tension and strife. As the mass-media is being concentrated into the hands of a few global conglomerates, populations are being fed a steady diet of disinformation, escapist entertainment, and neoliberal propaganda. As Western societies are being dismantled and refashioned in the mold of the Third-World, police-state regimes are being established to contain popular unrest. Factionalism and fundamentalist ideologies are being systematically promulgated worldwide so that groups and nations will struggle against one another rather than uniting in opposition to the global capitalist regime. As the Earth's fragile ecosystems are being pushed to the breaking point, the world is faced with the very real possibility of the total breakdown of civilization and the massive die-off of populations. Alternatively, if the capitalist oligarchy decides to change course and cease the pursuit of unmaintainable economic growth, the world faces a bleak future enslaved under the thumb of global tyranny. Is there any hope for humanity? Can capitalist domination be overcome? Is it too late to change course, restore our environment, and establish livable societies? No one can answer these questions with certainty, but we, the world's people, _must make the effort to save ourselves and the Earth. If we fail to do so we are betraying everything decent in humanity's heritage and we are condemning our progeny to either death or subservience. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain by standing up for ourselves and courageously challenging our oppressors. Part III of this book will examine the history of social movements, and of revolutions, and will endeavor to outline a practical strategy for non-violent, global, democratic revolution. In Part II, we will develop the goals of such a revolution -- we will investigate the nature of livable, sustainable societies. A livable society is a society in which people are happy to live -- a society in which people are reasonably well off and in which they feel in control of their lives and destinies. A sustainable society is one that is not living beyond its means, where resources are not being used up faster than they can be replaced. Livable societies are the birthright of men and women everywhere; sustainability is the means by which livable societies can be passed on to our children. ============================================================================ ======================================================================== •••@••.••• a political discussion forum. crafted in Ireland by rkm (Richard K. Moore) To subscribe, send any message to •••@••.••• A public service of Citizens for a Democratic Renaissance (mailto:•••@••.••• http://cyberjournal.org) **--> Non-commercial reposting is encouraged, but please include the sig up through this paragraph and retain any internal credits and copyright notices. Copyrighted materials are posted under "fair-use". To see the index of the cj archives, send any message to: •••@••.••• To subscribe to our activists list, send any message to: •••@••.••• Help create the Movement for a Democratic Rensaissance! A community will evolve only when the people control their means of communication. -- Frantz Fanon Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world, indeed it's the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead
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