http://article.nationalreview.com/?
q=3DODg2MmE0OGU1MWUzNzg1YzBiOREJGASDFYTIwMWQxZmQ=3D
Let's see, genocide in Iraq, Christianity in our public institutions,=20
secret prisons, torture, domestic surveillance of American citizens,
and now, persecution of science. This should be clear to everyone now:
For the purpose of this perspective, consider the following regimes:=20
Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Franco's Spain, Salazar's ****tugal,=20
Papadopoulos's Greece, Pinochet's Chile, and Suharto?s Indonesia.=20
To be sure, they constitute a mixed bag of national identities,=20
cultures, developmental levels, and history. But they all=20
followed the fascist or protofascist model in obtaining, expanding,
and maintaining power. Further, all these regimes have been overthrown
so a more or less complete picture of their basic characteristics and
abuses is possible.
Analysis of these seven regimes reveals fourteen common threads that
link them in recognizable patterns of national behavior and abuse of
power. These basic characteristics are more prevalent and intense in
some regimes than in others, but they all share at least some level=20
of similarity.
1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. From the=20
prominent displays of flags and bunting to the ubiquitous lapel pins,=20
the fervor to show patriotic nationalism, both on the part of the=20
regime itself and of citizens caught up in its frenzy, was always=20
obvious.=20
Catchy slogans, pride in the military, and demands for unity were=20
common themes in expressing this nationalism. It was usually coupled
with a suspicion of things foreign that often bordered on xenophobia.=20
2. Disdain for the im****tance of human rights. The regimes themselves=20
viewed human rights as of little value and a hindrance to realizing the=20
objectives of the ruling elite. Through clever use of propaganda, the=20
population was brought to accept these human rights abuses by=20
marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. When abuse was=20
egregious, the tactic was to use secrecy, denial, and disinformation.=20
3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. The most=20
significant common thread among these regimes was the use of=20
scapegoating as a means to divert the people's attention from other=20
problems, to ****ft blame for failures, and to channel frustration in=20
controlled directions. The methods of choice---relentless propaganda
and disinformation---were usually effective. Often the regimes would
incite "spontaneous" acts against the target scapegoats, usually=20
communists, socialists, liberals, Jews, ethnic and racial minorities,
traditional national enemies, members of other religions, secularists,
homo***uals, and "terrorists." Active opponents of these regimes were
inevitably labeled as terrorists and dealt with accordingly.=20
4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism. Ruling elites always=20
identified closely with the military and the industrial infrastructure=20
that sup****ted it. A dispro****tionate share of national resources was=20
allocated to the military, even when domestic needs were acute. The=20
military was seen as an expression of nationalism, and was used whenever
possible to assert national goals, intimidate other nations, and=20
increase the power and prestige of the ruling elite.=20
5. Rampant ***ism. Beyond the simple fact that the political elite and=20
the national culture were male-dominated, these regimes inevitably=20
viewed women as second-class citizens. They were adamantly anti-abortion
and also homophobic. These attitudes were usually codified in=20
Draconian laws that enjoyed strong sup****t by the orthodox religion of
the country, thus lending the regime cover for its abuses.=20
6. A controlled mass media. Under some of the regimes, the mass media=20
were under strict direct control and could be relied upon never to stray
from the party line. Other regimes exercised more subtle power to ensure
media orthodoxy. Methods included the control of licensing and access to
resources, economic pressure, appeals to patriotism, and implied threats.
The leaders of the mass media were often politically compatible with the
power elite. The result was usually success in keeping the general public
unaware of the regimes' excesses.=20
7. Obsession with national security. Inevitably, a national security=20
apparatus was under direct control of the ruling elite. It was usually=20
an instrument of oppression, operating in secret and beyond any=20
constraints. Its actions were justified under the rubric of protecting=20
"national security," and questioning its activities was ****trayed as=20
unpatriotic or even treasonous.=20
8. Religion and ruling elite tied together. Unlike communist regimes,=20
the fascist and protofascist regimes were never proclaimed as godless
by their opponents. In fact, most of the regimes attached themselves
to the predominant religion of the country and chose to ****tray
themselves as militant defenders of that religion. The fact that the
ruling elite's behavior was incompatible with the precepts of the
religion was generally swept under the rug.=20
Propaganda kept up the illusion that the ruling elites were defenders
of the faith and opponents of the "godless." A perception was=20
manufactured that opposing the power elite was tantamount to an
attack on religion.=20
9. Power of cor****ations protected. Although the personal life of=20
ordinary citizens was under strict control, the ability of large=20
cor****ations to operate in relative freedom was not compromised. The=20
ruling elite saw the cor****ate structure as a way to not only ensure=20
military production (in developed states), but also as an additional=20
means of social control. Members of the economic elite were often=20
pampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality of=20
interests, especially in the repression of "have-not" citizens.=20
10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated. Since organized labor was=20
seen as the one power center that could challenge the political
hegemony of the ruling elite and its cor****ate allies, it was
inevitably crushed or made powerless. The poor formed an underclass,
viewed with suspicion or outright contempt. Under some regimes,
being poor was considered akin to a vice.=20
11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts. Intellectuals
and the inherent freedom of ideas and expression associated with them
were anathema to these regimes. Intellectual and academic freedom were
considered subversive to national security and the patriotic ideal.=20
Universities were tightly controlled; politically unreliable faculty=20
harassed or eliminated. Unorthodox ideas or expressions of dissent were=20
strongly attacked, silenced, or crushed. To these regimes, art and=20
literature should serve the national interest or they had no right
to exist.=20
12. Obsession with crime and punishment. Most of these regimes=20
maintained Draconian systems of criminal justice with huge prison=20
populations. The police were often glorified and had almost unchecked=20
power, leading to rampant abuse. "Normal" and political crime were often
merged into trumped-up criminal charges and sometimes used against
political opponents of the regime. Fear, and hatred, of criminals or
"traitors" was often promoted among the population as an excuse for
more police power.=20
13. Rampant cronyism and corruption. Those in business circles and=20
close to the power elite often used their position to enrich themselves.
This corruption worked both ways; the power elite would receive=20
financial gifts and property from the economic elite, who in turn would
gain the benefit of government favoritism. Members of the power elite
were in a position to obtain vast wealth from other sources as well:
for example, by stealing national resources. With the national security
apparatus under control and the media muzzled, this corruption was
largely unconstrained and not well understood by the general
population.=20
14. Fraudulent elections. Elections in the form of plebiscites or public
opinion polls were usually bogus. When actual elections with candidates
were held, they would usually be perverted by the power elite to get the
desired result. Common methods included maintaining control of the
election machinery, intimidating and disenfranchising opposition voters,
destroying or disallowing legal votes, and, as a last resort, turning
to a judiciary beholden to the power elite.=20
Does any of this ring alarm bells? It should.=20
If not already committed, the above has been demonstrated to be desirable
by America's Neocon right.
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