1. Imperialism, globalization in crisis and Obama’s Middle Eastern empire

2. Introduction o Place of report in the session o Reporter: a US Jewish gay anti-imperialist … in Holland o Reporter’s limits: not an economist not an expert on any of these countries

3. Overview of report I.Imperialism: Lenin’s classic theory II.Neoliberal globalization III.Armed globalization and the ‘war on terror’ IV.From Bush II to Obama: in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Palestine

4. I. Imperialism: Lenin’s theory The Marxist understanding of imperialism before Lenin Marx and Engels: Ireland, Poland, Algeria and India German social democracy: ‘not a man, not a penny’ Cracks in the consensus: the Moroccan crisis (1911)‏ An outdated vision of capitalism: revisionism and Hilferding’s Finance Capital Luxemburg’s The Accumulation of Capital The shock of 1914

5. Basics of Lenin’s theory (from a non-economist!)‏ Laissez-faire capitalism and monopoly capitalism Uneven development and export of capital Competition for raw materials The division of the planet: colonial empires Spheres of influence and semi-colonies

6. Colonial empires 1914

7. (Official) division of the world PERCENTAGE OF TERRITORY BELONGING TO THE EUROPEAN COLONIAL POWERS (including the United States)‏ 1876 1900 Increase or decrease Africa.......... 10.8 90.4 +79.6 Polynesia.... 56.8 98.9 +42.1 Asia............ 51.5 56.6 +5.1 Australia..... 100.0 100.0 — America...... 27.5 27.2 -0.3

8. (Unofficial) control of the world DISTRIBUTION (APPROXIMATE) OF FOREIGN CAPITAL IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE GLOBE (circa 1910)‏ Britain France Germany Total (in billions of German marks) Europe.......... 4 23 18 45 America.......... 37 4 10 51 Asia, Africa, and Australia...... 29 8 7 44 Total........ 70 35 35 140

9. Imperialism, 1916-1982 1914-20Re-division: German and Ottoman possessions become British, French, Italian, Japanese and US 1936-45Failed German challenge to re-division; Italy and Japan lose their colonial possessions 1947/1956Truman Doctrine and Suez crisis mark replacement of British by US hegemony 1949Chinese revolution 1955Bandung: India, Indonesia, Egypt etc. gain autonomy 1975US defeat in Vietnam 1979/1980/1982Thatcher elected; Reagan elected; debt crisis

10. II. Neoliberal globalization Is imperialism still a relevant framework to analyze the post-1979 world economy? Claudio Katz’s arguments: Growth of inequality: dominant and dependent countries Terms of trade Extraction of financial resources Transfer of industrial profits Loss of political autonomy

11. Distribution of wealth (2005)‏ % world pop. % world GDP GDP per cap. Dominant14%78%$ 31,000 countries Dependent80%19%$ 1,410 countries (Figures from CADTM)‏

12. Debt: the poor fund the rich Marshall Plan aid to Europe, post-WW2: $ 90 billion Debt payments from dependent to dominant countries, 1980-2004:$5300 billion Number of total Marshall Plans from poor to rich: 59

13. Terms of trade and repatriation of profits Ratio of prices between dependent country exports and dependent country imports: 1980100 2002 48 Net repatriation of profits from dependent countries by multinational corporations, 1998-2002: $ 334 billion

14. Multinationals: monopoly finance capital Selected GDP of countries and revenues of multinational corporations Countries (IMF, 2010, $ billion)‏ 1. US$ 14,658 2. China 5,878 5. France 2,582 7. Brazil 2,090 10. India 1,538 12. Spain 1,410 16. Netherlands 869 Egypt 218 Israel 213 Iraq 82 Afghanistan 15 Multinationals (2010/11, $ billion)‏ 1. Wal-Mart $ 422 2. Exxon Mobil 370 3. Shell 368 4. BP 297 5. Sinopec 290 6. Toyota 242 7. PetroChina 222 8. Total 213 9. Chevron 205 10. Japan Post 201

15. Autonomy lost - and found? IMF/World Bank/WTO: one dollar, one vote ‘Structural adjustment’ and ‘conditionality’ Consequences for social spending and debt repayment Consequences for negotiating positions Beyond dependence: China, Brazil, India(?) Signs of change: Doha, Bancosur(?)

16. III. Armed globalization and the ‘war on terror’ Militarism: response to — and cause of — disintegration of peripheral states (Katz)‏ Role of US: *Enforcer of neoliberal world order *Sole superpower: 50%+ of global military spending *Military-industrial complex *Military supremacy & inter-imperialist rivalries * Oil: Latin America and the Middle East Tools: ‘Coalitions of the willing’, NATO and UN

17. The post-1991 world order The first US invasion of Iraq (1991): a decisive moment (Achcar)‏ US military return to Gulf region (after 1962 withdrawal)‏ Demonstration of superior US military technology Network of bases and alliances

18. 9/11: Bush’s opportunity The intervention in Afghanistan and the US presence in Central Asia

19. IV. The empire and Obama A time of deepening crisis In Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Palestine Factors in imperial politics in Mideast: Oil Geopolitics Alliance with Zionism ‘Clash of civilizations’ Introduction: imperialism and globalization in the Islamic world

20. Glory of the Islamic world

21. Ottomans (and Safavids)

22. British and French

23. US imperialism 1933US contract with Saudi king 1956Suez crisis 1967 & 1973 US backs Israel 1979Iran revolution; USSR invades Afghanistan 1989USSR leaves Afghanistan 1991First US invasion of Iraq 20019/11; US invasion of Afghanistan 2003-?US invasion and occupation of Iraq 2008Descent into global slump 2010/1Arab revolutions; intervention in Libya

24. Lessons of Middle Eastern history Depth of anti-imperialism Oil, imperialism and populism Vital interests: converging and contradictory ‘The Arab despotic exception’

25. Oil: proven reserves (2010)‏ RankCountry Reserves (bil. bbp) % of total Saudi Arabia265 19 Canada175 13 Iran138 10 Iraq115 8 Kuwait104 8 United Arab Emirates 98 7 Venezuela 98 7 Russia 74 5 Libya 47 3 Nigeria 38 3

26. Oil: reserves by region

27. Oil: control Control over oil depends less on legal ownership than on extraction and refining technology and profit-sharing 1912Iraq: Turkish Petroleum Company founded (later Iraq Petroleum Company, European consortium)‏ 1933Saudi Arabia: Agreement with Standard Oil (US)‏ 1951Iran: Parliament nationalizes oil 1954Iran: After coup, shah signs Consortium Agreement with Western companies 1972Iraq: Ba’athist regime nationalizes oil 1973 OPEC boycott of US and Netherlands 2007Iraq: Hydrocarbon law introduced in parliament

28. Israel: imperial liability, imperial asset Liability Spark of revolutions (1952 and after)‏ Major factor in legitimacy of independent-minded fundamentalism (Hamas, Hezbollah)‏ Cost ($3 billion per year and trade benefits)‏ A loose cannon Asset A rock-solid ally Source of expertise in spying, assassination, torture A useful proxy for intervention (in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq…)‏ World’s fourth-largest military … at a fraction of the cost of US forces

29. The clash of barbarisms Islam and Arab identity The diversity of Islam: Sunni centre and Shia crescent Petty bourgeoisie and fundamentalism The diversity of fundamentalism: pro-imperial, anti- ‘crusader’ and undecided Women and LGBTs Fundamentalism: a deadly enemy ‘March separately, strike together’ The Arab revolutions: fundamentalism sidelined

30. Iraq Oil (fourth largest proven reserves)‏ Resistance: 1920s, 1958, Ba’athism ‘A new Middle East’ US hegemony: challenge to Russia, China … France US power, Iranian influence: clash ahead? Obama’s ‘withdrawal’ Ongoing resistance and solidarity

31. Afghanistan No oil Resistance: 19th century (Durand Line, 1893), 1979, Taliban Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan State-building?: the US (‘Enduring Freedom’), NATO (ISAF) and the UN Obama’s war A difficult solidarity

32. Arab revolutions/intervention in Libya An end to the ‘Arab despotic exception’? Tunisia: the spark Egypt: the central country (since 1952) Imperialism threatened (Bahrain) or marginalized (Syria) A very unfinished process (tomorrow) Libya: oil (a bit), history of resistance (since 1911), shifting relation to imperialism The right to assistance - and the danger of subordination

33. Palestine No oil Resistance: 1929, 1936, fedayeen, Intifadas (1987 & 2000)‏ Fatah, Hamas … and the left The impossible second state The assault on Gaza (2008)‏ Obama and the ‘peace process’ Towards a new strategy?

34. Palestine: the impossible second state

35. Resistance and solidarity The legitimacy of resistance The balance of military forces Our globalization: linking civil societies Fundamentalism and democracy, capital and labour Solidarity: a political battle Solidarity: concrete tasks