BRICS and the New American Imperialism

Keamogetswe Seipato, Nivedita Majumdar, Karina Kato, Garcia Ana, Alexander Gallas, Christopher Chase-Dunn, William K Carroll, Patrick Bond, Samir Amin, Ferrial Adam, Vishwas Satgar

Description

An analysis of BRICS in the context of increasing US induced imperial chaos, deepening environmental crises, contradictory dynamics inside BRICS countries and growing subaltern resistance.
BRICS is a grouping of the five major emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Volume five in the Democratic Marxism series challenges the mainstream understanding of BRICS and US dominance to situate the new global rivalries engulfing capitalism. It offers novel analyses of BRICS in the context of increasing US induced imperial chaos, deepening environmental crisis tendencies (such as climate change and water scarcity), contradictory dynamics inside BRICS countries and growing subaltern resistance.
The authors revisit contemporary thinking on imperialism and anti-imperialism, drawing on the work of Rosa Luxemburg, one of the leading theorists after Marx, who attempted to understand the expansionary nature of capitalism from the heartlands to the peripheries. The richness of Luxemburg’s pioneering work inspires most of the volume’s contributors in their analyses of the dangerous contradictions of the contemporary world as well as forms of democratic agency advancing resistance.
While various forms of resistance are highlighted, among them water protests, mass worker strikes, anti-corporate campaigning and forms of cultural critique, this volume grapples with the challenge of renewing anti-imperialism beyond the NGO-driven World Social Forum and considers the prospects of a new horizontal political vessel to build global convergence.
It also explores the prospects of a Fifth International of Peoples and Workers.

Tables and Figures

Acknowledgements

Acronyms and Abbreviations

Chapter 1 Old and New Imperialism: The End of US Domination? – Vishwas Satgar

Part I: Global Crisis, BRICS and Rivalry

Chapter 2 Fossil Capital, Imperialism and the Global Corporate Elite – William K. Carroll

Chapter 3 Water Wars in the World and South Africa – Ferrial Adam

Chapter 4 Subimperial BRICS Enter the Bolsonaro-Putin-Modi-Xi-Ramaphosa Era – Patrick Bond

Chapter 5 A Road to Development? The Nacala Corridor at the Intersection between Brazilian and Global Investments – Ana Garcia and Karina Kato

Part II: Global Resistance

Chapter 6 The Vessel: An Alternative Strategy for the Global Left – Christopher Chase-Dunn

Chapter 7 Towards the Fifth International? – Samir Amin

Chapter 8 The Campaign to Dismantle Transnational Corporations – Keamogetswe Seipato

Chapter 9 Mass Strikes in a Global Conjuncture of Crisis: A Luxemburgian Analysis – Alexander Gallas

Chapter 10 The Novel in a Time of Neoliberalism – Nivedita Majumdar

Conclusion – Vishwas Satgar

Contributors

Index

Sujets

• International Relations
• Political Science
• General officer
• General

Informations

• Publié par: WITS University Press
• Date de parution: 01 mars 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781776145645
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

DEMOCRATIC MARXISM SERIES
Series Editor: Vishwas Satgar
The crisis of Marxism in the late twentieth century was the crisis of orthodox and vanguardist Marxism associated mainly with hierarchical communist parties, and imposed, even as state ideology, as the correct Marxism. The Stalinisation of the Soviet Union and its eventual collapse exposed the inherent weaknesses and authoritarian mould of vanguardist Marxism. More fundamentally, vanguardist Marxism was rendered obsolete but for its residual existence in a few parts of the world, including within authoritarian national liberation movements in Africa and in China.
With the deepening crises of capitalism, a new democratic Marxism (or democratic historical materialism) is coming to the fore. Such a democratic Marxism is characterised by the following: Its sources span non-vanguardist grassroots movements, unions, political fronts, mass parties, radical intellectuals, transnational activist networks and parts of the progressive academy; It seeks to ensure that the inherent categories of Marxism are theorised within constantly changing historical conditions to find meaning; Marxism is understood as a body of social thought that is unfinished and hence challenged by the need to explain the dynamics of a globalising capitalism and the futures of social change; It is open to other forms of anti-capitalist thought and practice, including currents within radical ecology, feminism, emancipatory utopianism and indigenous thought; It does not seek to be a monolithic and singular school of thought but engenders contending perspectives; Democracy, as part of the heritage of people s struggles, is understood as the basis for articulating alternatives to capitalism and as the primary means for constituting a transformative subject of historical change.
This series seeks to elaborate the social theorising and politics of democratic Marxism.
Published in the series and available:
Michelle Williams and Vishwas Satgar (eds). 2013. Marxisms in the 21st Century: Crisis, Critique and Struggle . Johannesburg: Wits University Press.
Vishwas Satgar (ed.). 2015. Capitalism s Crises: Class Struggles in South Africa and the World . Johannesburg: Wits University Press.
Vishwas Satgar (ed.). 2018. The Climate Crisis: South African and Global Democratic Eco-Socialist Alternatives. Johannesburg: Wits University Press.
Vishwas Satgar (ed.). 2019. Racism after Apartheid: Challenges for Marxism and Anti-Racism . Johannesburg: Wits University Press.
BRICS AND THE NEW AMERICAN IMPERIALISM
GLOBAL RIVALRY AND RESISTANCE
Edited by Vishwas Satgar
Published in South Africa by:
Wits University Press 1 Jan Smuts Avenue Johannesburg 2001
www.witspress.co.za
Compilation Vishwas Satgar 2020 Chapters Individual contributors 2020 Published edition Wits University Press 2020
First published 2020
http://dx.doi.org.10.18772/22020035287
978-1-77614-528-7 (Print) 978-1-77614-566-9 (Hardback) 978-1-77614-563-8 (PDF) 978-1-77614-564-5 (EPUB) 978-1-77614-565-2 (Mobi) 978-1-77614-576-8 (Open Access PDF)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher, except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act, Act 98 of 1978.
This book is freely available through the OAPEN library ( www.oapen.org ) under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 Creative Commons License. ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ).
The publication of this volume was made possible by funding from the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung and through a grant received from the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Project manager: Inga Norenius Copyeditor: Inga Norenius Proofreader: Tessa Botha Indexer: Margaret Ramsay Cover design: Hothouse, South Africa Typesetter: MPS Typeset in 10 point Minion Pro
CONTENTS
TABLES AND FIGURES
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
CHAPTER 1: Old and New Imperialism: The End of US Domination?
Vishwas Satgar
PART ONE: GLOBAL CRISIS, BRICS AND RIVALRY
CHAPTER 2: Fossil Capital, Imperialism and the Global Corporate Elite
William K. Carroll
CHAPTER 3: Water Wars in the World and South Africa
Ferrial Adam
CHAPTER 4: Subimperial BRICS Enter the Bolsonaro-Putin-Modi-Xi-Ramaphosa Era
Patrick Bond
CHAPTER 5: A Road to Development? The Nacala Corridor at the Intersection Between Brazilian and Global Investments
Ana Garcia and Karina Kato
PART TWO: GLOBAL RESISTANCE
CHAPTER 6: The Vessel: An Alternative Strategy for the Global Left
Chris Chase-Dunn
CHAPTER 7: Towards the Fifth International?
Samir Amin
CHAPTER 8: The Campaign to Dismantle Corporate Power
Keamogetswe Seipato
CHAPTER 9: Mass Strikes in a Global Conjuncture of Crisis: A Luxemburgian Analysis
Alexander Gallas
CHAPTER 10: The Novel in a Time of Neoliberalism
Nivedita Majumdar
CONCLUSION: Vishwas Satgar
CONTRIBUTORS
INDEX
TABLES AND FIGURES
Table 2.1 Historical eras of imperialism
Table 2.2 Composition of the Top 50 fossil corporations, 2018
Table 2.3 The most central fossil corporations in the global interlock network
Table 4.1 Changes in the IMF top ten owner-countries voting shares, 2010-2019
Figure 1.1 US cycles of hegemony and crisis
Figure 2.1 Twelve minor components in the network
Figure 2.2 Three communities in the fossil-capital network
Figure 2.3 Interlocks among eight major fossils and 23 financial institutions, 2018
Figure 3.1 The increasing water conflicts at a subnational level, 1931-2011
Figure 4.1 Steel overaccumulation driven by China
Figure 4.2 Producer price index for iron and steel, 2002-2019
Figure 4.3 Profit flows, 2015-2017 (average dividend receipts as a per cent of dividend payments)
Figure 5.1 Vale s business units in Mozambique
Figure 5.2 World Bank s spatial development initiatives and growth poles
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
T his volume owes a special debt to the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. Without their support it would have been impossible to hold a contributors workshop in South Africa and to ensure the manuscript was prepared for publication. The use of the conferencing space at their office provided a conducive space for engagement during the contributors workshop. We are also grateful for the support given by the Co-operative and Policy Centre (COPAC), which played a central role in organising the workshop convened with contributors and activists from various social movements and community organisations. The support given by the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences has enabled the digitisation of this volume. Moreover, it is important to acknowledge the editorial assistance provided by Jane Cherry from COPAC. Her efforts were crucial for keeping things on track. The efforts of Courtney Morgan and Aaisha Domingo, working with Jane Cherry, are also appreciated. Special thanks to Professor Michelle Williams for her supportive feedback during this project. Finally, our sincerest appreciation to the team at Wits University Press, particularly Veronica Klipp, Roshan Cader and Corina van der Spoel, for supporting this volume and the Democratic Marxism series.
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ACFI Agreement on Cooperation and Facilitation of Investment AfDB African Development Bank ANC African National Congress BNDES Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Economico e Social (Brazilian Economic and Social Development Bank) BRICS Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa CFM Caminhos de Ferro de Mo ambique CRA Contingent Reserve Arrangement CSIR Council for Scientific and Industrial Research GATT General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs IMF International Monetary Fund IOCs international oil companies JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency MNC multinational corporation NAM Non-Alignment Movement NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization NIEO New International Economic Order NOCs national oil companies OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ONGC Oil and Natural Gas Corporation SDI Spatial Development Initiative TNC transnational corporation TTIP Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCTC United Nations Commission on Transnational Corporations UNFCCC United Nations Convention on Climate Change Veja Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance WSF World Social Forum WTO World Trade Organization
For Rosa Luxemburg who was murdered on 15 January 1919.
CHAPTER
1
OLD AND NEW IMPERIALISM: THE END OF US DOMINATION?
Vishwas Satgar
F or over three decades the main buzzword of development, international relations and policy making has been globalisation . It is a descriptive concept used to characterise processes underway in the global political economy related to production, trade, finance, technology and labour. It has been an overworked term, sometimes evoking the metaphor of a happy global village in which all countries are equal and in which there is smooth mobility not just of finance and goods, but also of labour and technology. The embrace of globalisation has also promised that all ships will rise as the tides of competition and winds of integration buttress the engines of national economies. Inequality and poverty will all be history in this global market utopia according to the promises and rhetoric of globalisation discourse. Or more poignantly, we would all be Americans and would all have been conscripted to the end of history in which the US standard of liberal democracy was also our common standard. However, the realities of today s global political economy are much more complex. This fifth volume in the Democratic Marxism series seeks to explore the remaking of the global political economy over the past few decades in a world of deepening systemic crises (such as climate change and water crises), redistributions of economic po