Showing posts with label Oligarchy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oligarchy. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

The US Will Go Bankrupt, Collapse, and Break Up | Andrew Napolitano

The greatest threats to America come not from abroad but from internal overreach: a permanent surveillance state, secret executive militarism, congressional impotence, judicial passivity, and catastrophic debt. The formal structure of the Constitution remains, but its functional authority is evaporating. This points toward systemic failure.
 
Congress has abdicated its legislative role, the judiciary selectively enforces constitutional norms, and the executive rules increasingly by decree. Meanwhile, lobbying power from defense contractors and pro-Israel groups locks Congress into perpetual military spending—now over $1 trillion annually, more than the next ten countries combined.

 
Domestically, the unchecked growth of executive power is matched by economic instability. The federal debt, nearing $40 trillion, carries annual interest exceeding $1 trillion—an unsustainable burden that threatens systemic collapse. Tariffs, imposed unilaterally and used as political weapons, drive up consumer prices while violating constitutional limits, which vest taxing authority solely in Congress. Courts may soon invalidate these executive-imposed tariffs, but political gridlock makes corrective legislation unlikely.
 
» 
Collapse—not through revolution, but insolvency. «
 
If unchecked, these dynamics will lead to the federal government's collapse—not through revolution, but insolvency. Unable to service its debt, pay salaries, or borrow, Washington could cease functioning. The likely outcome is regional fragmentation: a dozen or so independent republics forming along ideological and geographic lines—e.g., New England, Texas, and the Southeast. This breakup, though gradual and nonviolent, will mark the end of the United States as a unified federal entity.
 
 
 
» Decadence is a moral and spiritual disease. «
Lieutenant-General Sir John Bagot Glubb, 1978.

See also:
 
了解你的敌人
Know your Enemies.
 

Sunday, August 17, 2025

The "Iron Law of Oligarchy" and the Delusion of Democracy | Neema Parvini

One of the primary issues with democracy is the "Iron Law of Oligarchy," as described by Robert Michels. Although democracy promises equality and freedom, an elite class inevitably holds power. Whether Professor Peabody, Sally Strawberry, or Pedro Orange is in office, an elite class persists. Even when one elite group is replaced by another, such as a shift from peas to strawberries, the system remains fundamentally unchanged. 
 
 Chuan Jianguo (特朗同志), Comrade Build the Nation, a.k.a. 
MAGA Traitor (MAGA 叛徒) and Genocide Don (种族灭绝唐). 
 
Michels' "Iron Law of Oligarchy" argues that the egalitarianism democracy promises is an illusion. Elites always emerge; even if the masses overthrow one, they soon create another. James Burnham, in "The Machiavellians," expands on this, asserting that any realistic political analysis must accept elites' inevitable dominance. This elite dominance reflects the Pareto principle, suggesting a natural 80/20 split between elites and society. 
» The oligarchy is a layer separated from the people. Sustained by privilege, wealth, speculation, and control of bureaucracy, it lacks a vital bond with the community. The elite directs the people's energy toward a common goal, takes risks alongside them, while the oligarchy does not. The oligarchy lives off the people's resources, manipulates them to maintain its position, and shields itself from any demand for responsibility it always avoids. Thus, the notion that the big fish eats the small one is unjust and mistaken, because the elite is the principle of life for a people, while the oligarchy is the principle of their decay. «

Plato ("The Republic," Book VI) and Aristotle ("Politics," Book IV) warned against direct majority rule, fearing tyranny of the majority and mob rule. In his "Discourses on Livy," Niccolò Machiavelli shared this view, citing the Gracchi brothers, Tiberius and Gaius, in 2nd-century BC Rome. Their land reforms to redistribute wealth from the aristocracy to the poor led to bloodshed and civil war. Machiavelli argued that the Gracchi erred in assuming the poor were less self-interested than the wealthy. By seeking the masses' approval, they fueled hatred between plebeians and the Senate, ultimately destroying the Roman Republic.
 

 
 Gaetano Mosca and Vilfredo Pareto:
The Intractable Problem of Democracy.
 
» The heirs began to degenerate from their ancestors, and, abandoning virtuous deeds, thought that princes had nothing to do but surpass others in luxury, lasciviousness, and every other kind of pleasure. Thus, the prince, becoming hated, and fearing because of this hatred, turned to tyranny, and many of those who helped establish it became its enemies.
These, conspiring together, brought about its ruin. And so the cycle continues. «
Discourses on Livy, Book I, Chapter 2, Niccolò Machiavelli, 1531

Machiavelli described a cyclical pattern where democracy transitions to tyranny. A wise and just ruler, the "prince," leads initially, but his successor often indulges in luxury, resulting in tyranny. An aristocratic class overthrows this tyranny, establishing a new government, but these aristocrats also become corrupt, ushering in anarchy and renewed tyranny. Machiavelli proposed a mixed government—a republic—where monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy are institutionally represented. This form is more stable and enduring than pure democracies or oligarchies, as exemplified by the Spartan Republic, which lasted 800 years compared to shorter cycles elsewhere.

 

 
» A hundred men acting uniformly in concert, with a common understanding, will triumph
over a thousand men who are not in accord and can therefore be dealt with one by one. «
Gaetano Mosca, 1896.

Despite this mixed government, challenges persist. In the 18th century, David Hume identified factionalism as a major democratic flaw. He argued that people naturally form factions based on personal interests, often undermining the common good. Even trivial differences, as seen in ancient Greek factions or recent civil wars, can spark factionalism. Modern democracies still face factions driven by religion, politics, or personal rivalries.
 
» The more the Devil has, the more he wants to have. «
 
James Madison, in his "Federalist Paper No. 10," addressed factions, proposing two solutions: removing their causes or controlling their effects. Eliminating causes requires abolishing liberty, which is impractical and undesirable. Controlling effects is more feasible. Madison argued that large republics dilute factional harm through diverse interests, making domination by one faction harder and offering voters more choices, thus reducing corrupt candidates' influence. However, Madison's vision did not anticipate political parties, now central to modern politics, nor the impact of communication tools like radio, television, and the internet, which amplify factional organization and influence.
 
» Oligarchy always rests upon force and fraud. «
George Orwell, 1946.
 
Mancur Olson, in "The Logic of Collective Action," identified another issue: large groups with shared interests struggle to organize due to high costs, while smaller, organized special interest groups effectively influence policy, even against the majority's interests. These groups often secure their goals, disregarding the public’s benefit. 
 
»
Sovereign is he who decides on the exception. «
Political Theology, Carl Schmitt, 1922.
 
For example, candidates Sunny Strawberry and Lucy Lemon, running for office, receive offers from special interest groups like the Peas, Aubergines, and Pears, seeking government funding or tax breaks. To win, Sunny might pledge favors to these groups, even if the broader population gains nothing. If she refuses, the groups may support Lucy, who offers similar deals. This system ensures special interest groups dominate policy, leaving the general population underrepresented.
 
» You great star! What would your happiness be had you not those for whom you shine! «
Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Friedrich Nietzsche, 1883.
 
The general public, lacking special interests, struggles to organize and advocate for their agenda. Consequently, their needs are often overlooked in favor of well-resourced lobbies. Madison's republic and modern democracies face significant challenges. Representatives often prioritize electoral success over the common good, and their policies may fail without consequence. These systemic issues pose serious problems for modern democracies, and while solutions are elusive, recognizing and addressing these flaws is crucial.
 
 
See also:
(Zur Soziologie des Parteiwesens in der modernen Demokratie) 
 
了解你的敌人
Know your Enemies.

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

The Sidonius Apollinaris Syndrome | Markku Siira

If people don't want to witness the growth of certain crisis phenomena, the 21st century is relentlessly sweeping over them. Russian historian Andrei Fursov has coined the term "Sidonius Apollinaris Syndrome" to describe this. He draws inspiration from Sidonius Apollinaris, a Christian bishop, writer, and poet in ancient Rome. A significant collection of letters he wrote to friends and family has survived, offering an essential look at 4th-century history. In one of these letters, Sidonius describes the world as a peaceful and tranquil place. He writes: ”We are living in magnificent times, peace and tranquility reign everywhere; I sit by the pool at my villa, a dragonfly hovers over the water, the world is beautiful”. However, not long after, the Roman Empire collapsed. Fursov points to this historical blindness, noting that it is "partly due to ignorance and partly simply a reluctance to see and understand."

 » We are living in magnificent times, peace and tranquility reign everywhere; 
I sit by the pool at my villa, a dragonfly hovers over the water, the world is beautiful. «
Gaius Sollius Modestus Sidonius Apollinaris: Aristocrat, Poet, Diplomat, Senator, Prefect of Rome, Consul,
Bishop of Clermont, Torchbearer of Faith, Father of the Church, Saint of the Roman Universal Church; 450 AD.

Today, we live in an era of political and economic stagnation, marked by an increasing number of global conflicts. The situation seems to worsen with every passing day. Fursov argues that we are witnessing the "quantitative accumulation of negative trends," and at some point, "quantity turns into quality." In other words, these trends may reach a tipping point, leading to a dramatic change. Historical events can unfold quickly and unexpectedly. Fursov recalls a friend's grandmother commenting on the collapse of the Soviet Union, saying, "You can’t imagine how fast it happened. Before lunch, all the shops were still open, but by lunchtime, everything had already shut down." This sudden shift demonstrates how societal structures can unravel at a startling pace.

Fursov believes that old structures and institutions are beginning to falter in the modern world. He underscores that such periods of transformation often lead to the renewal or collapse of social and political systems. The European Union, for example, could face collapse due to internal contradictions and external pressures. Could we be witnessing the disintegration of a new "Eurostate" that would dramatically reshape Europe’s political landscape?

 In 451 AD, Attila the Hun, leader of the Huns, invaded the Western Roman Empire, specifically Gaul
(modern-day France), marking a significant military campaign against the weakened Roman state.

Similarly, the political polarization within the United States, Trump’s foreign policy stance, and the rise of Russia and China may weaken NATO’s influence in the West. This could result in a series of power-political upheavals, where traditional alliances fall apart, leading to new global power structures.
 
»
Characteristic of dark times in history. «

Fursov advises that in order to survive under harsh conditions, it’s crucial to analyze and understand current trends. But it’s equally important to be physically prepared for scarcity. "The entire 21st century will be filled with battles on all levels," he warns—within the elite, between the elite and the middle class, and between the lower classes and the elite. This kind of turmoil is characteristic of dark times in history. Additionally, the massive influx of migrants contributes to the chaos, creating a situation resembling the Brownian movement. In this environment, Fursov argues, one must be ready to seize opportunities as they arise. Over the next 20-30 years, he believes, people will be united by a common desire to preserve their place in history as bearers of a particular civilization and cultural code. However, this tradition, which is over a thousand years old, is now under threat.

Unfortunately, the current trajectory offers little reason for optimism. Globalization, technological revolution, and the erosion of cultural identity seem to be intensifying. If we fail to stop and assess where we are headed, we risk ending up in a world where the past is forgotten, and the future is severed from its roots.

 
了解你的敌人
Know your Enemies.

Monday, January 27, 2025

Russia Must Help Overthrow Europe's Dangerous Elites │ Sergey Karaganov

Any outcome of the Ukraine conflict framed as a ‘compromise’ would be celebrated in the West as a victory and perceived as a failure by Russia. This must be avoided at all costs.

» Western Europe must be sidelined from global decision-making. It has become the primary threat to itself and the world. 
True peace will only come when Western Europe’s backbone is broken once more, as it was after Russia’s victories over 
Napoleon and Hitler. The current elites must be replaced by a new generation capable of engaging in constructive dialogue. «
Sergey Karaganov, honorary chairman of Russia’s Council on Foreign and Defense Policy
dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, and adviser to Vladimir Putin.

First, Russia must openly confront Western Europe’s historical culpability. It’s not the ‘garden’ its elites imagine but a field of fat weeds thriving on the blood of hundreds of millions it has enslaved, murdered, and robbed. Calling Western Europe out for its crimes – from colonialism to warmongering – legitimizes our potential use of nuclear deterrence as a justified response to aggression.

Second, Russia must emphasize the inevitability of nuclear escalation in any conflict between NATO and Russia. This message is essential not only to limit an arms race but also to underscore the futility of stockpiling conventional weapons that will be rendered irrelevant in a nuclear confrontation. NATO’s leaders must understand that they cannot avoid the consequences of their actions.

Third, we must continue advancing on the battlefield, destroying the enemy’s forces with relentless precision. However, it is equally critical to declare that Russia’s patience is finite. For every Russian soldier killed, we must make clear that a thousand Western Europeans will pay the price if their governments persist in waging war against us. The public over there must understand that their elites are preparing to sacrifice them, and nuclear weapons will not discriminate between soldiers and civilians. Western European capitals will be among the first targets of our retaliation.

Fourth, Russia must communicate to the Americans that their continued escalation of the Ukraine conflict will lead to catastrophic consequences. Should they persist, we will cross the nuclear Rubicon, targeting their allies and bases worldwide. Any non-nuclear response will provoke a nuclear strike on American soil. This clarity will force Washington to reconsider its reckless policies.


Fif
th
, we must strengthen our military capabilities while continuing to adjust our nuclear doctrine. If diplomacy fails, we must escalate decisively, demonstrating our readiness to use advanced weapons to defend Russia’s sovereignty and interests. While new technologies such as the Oreshnik missile system enhance our capabilities, they are no substitute for nuclear weapons, which remain the ultimate guarantor of our security.

Finally, Russia must offer the United States a dignified exit from its self-inflicted Ukrainian disaster. We have no desire to humiliate America but are prepared to help it extricate itself from this quagmire, provided it abandons its destructive policies. At the same time, Western Europe must be sidelined from global decision-making. It has become the primary threat to itself and the world.

If America withdraws, Ukraine’s defeat will follow swiftly. Russia will reclaim its rightful territories in the east and south, while a neutral, demilitarized state is established in central and western Ukraine. Those unwilling to live under Russian law will be free to relocate. Peace can only be achieved by removing Western Europe as a destabilizing force and addressing humanity’s broader challenges alongside the global majority.

True peace will only come when Western Europe’s backbone is broken once more, as it was after Russia’s victories over Napoleon and Hitler. The current elites must be replaced by a new generation capable of engaging in constructive dialogue. Only then can Europe rejoin the world as a responsible partner, not a source of perpetual conflict. 
 
The stakes are clear: This is not just a battle for Russia’s future, but for the survival of human civilization as we know it.

 
[ RT’s version of Karaganov's January 21st Profile essay is essentially completely rewritten 
including its title, although RT merely says it "was translated and edited by the RT team." ] 
 

Monday, January 2, 2023

The Blue Church, the Blue Faith & Red Pills for 2023 | Jordan Hall

This is the formal core of the Blue Church: 
 
it solves the problem of 20th Century social complexity through the use of mass media to generate manageable social coherence.
 
The abstract is this: 
 
the Blue Church is a kind of narrative / ideology control structure that is a natural result of mass media. It is an evolved (rather than designed) function that has come over the past half-century to be deeply connected with the Democratic political “Establishment” and lightly connected with the “Deep State” to form an effective political and dominant cultural force in the United States.

We can trace its roots at least as far back as the beginning of the 20th Century where it emerged in response to the new capabilities of mass media for social control. By mid-century it began to play an increasingly meaningful role in forming and shaping American culture-producing institutions; became pervasive through the last half of the 20th and seems to have peaked in its influence somewhere in the first decade of the 21st Century.

It is now beginning to unravel.


In part it is unravelling because of developing schisms within its master narrative, the Blue Faith. These are important, but they are not the subject of this essay. In this essay, I am focusing on what I think is both much more fundamental and much less obvious: deep shifts in technology and society that are undermining the very foundations of the Church. Shifts that render the Church itself obsolete. 
If you are ready for a deep dive, come on in. The water is warm.

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Top 0.1% Of American Households Hold Same Wealth As Bottom 90%

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The US has a serious inequality problem according to a huge study by Credit Suisse: The top 0.1% of households now hold about the same amount of wealth as the bottom 90%. The Gini coefficient is a measurement of the income distribution within a country that aims to show the gap between the rich and the poor. The number ranges from zero to one, with zero representing perfect equality (everyone has the same income) and one representing perfect inequality (one person earns the entire country’s income and everyone else has nothing). A higher Gini coefficient means greater inequality. Developed-market economies such as those in Germany, France, and Sweden tend to have a higher GDP per capita and lower Gini coefficients. On the flip side, emerging-market economies in countries like Russia, Brazil, and South Africa tend to have a lower GDP per capita but a higher Gini coefficient.

Enlarge
The US, however, is a big outlier. Its GDP per capita is on par with developed European countries like Switzerland and Norway, but its Gini coefficient is in the same tier as Russia’s and China’s. On a global scale just 0.7% of the world's adult population owns almost half of the world's wealth, while the bottom 73% have less than $10,000 each. The 3.5 billion adults with wealth below $10,000 account for 2.4% of global wealth. In contrast, the 33 million millionaires comprise less than 1% of the adult population, but own 46% of household wealth. The past year saw a slight increase in the number of US dollar millionaires and high net worth individuals, with Japan the main beneficiary due to appreciation of the yen. 

The top tiers of the wealth pyramid – covering individuals with net worth above $100,000 – comprised 5% of all adults at the turn of the century. The proportion rose rapidly until the financial crisis, but has remained quite stable since that time. It currently comprises 8.2% of the global total, exactly the same as in mid-2015. The US, home to 41% of the world's millionaires, dominates the wealth league tables, while the UK had a terrible year in dollar terms. Britain lost by far the greatest number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals – those with more than $50 million – down 700 to 4,700. The UK also lost the most amount of millionaires, down by 422,000 to 2,225,000 people. Because the data is denominated in dollars, the pound's 18% collapse after the vote to leave the European Union will have driven a lot of the change. 

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Global Wealth Distribution

Credit Suisse (Oct 2015) - Just 0.7% of the world's adult population owns almost half of the world's wealth, while the bottom 71%
have less than USD 10,000 each. That poorest two-thirds of the population own a 3% sliver of the world's wealth, and inequality is rising.
 

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Confucius In The Age of Oligarchy

"Better light a candle
than curse the dark."
One great tradition of anti-oligarchical thinking in world culture stems from the influence of Confucius (551-479 BC). Confucianism can perhaps best be understood as a movement to save Chinese civilization from oligarchical depredations. Confucius starts from a standpoint very much like that of Plato (428-348 BC): the need to secure good government capable of promoting the general welfare. Confucius recognized that most governments in the divided and balkanized China of his time were unacceptable. 

The main political issue was the incessant private warfare of the Zhou dynasty military nobility, which served no useful purpose, but kept the country weak and divided, with no effective central government. According to Confucius, bad government derived from the fact that rulers and high officials lacked the character and qualifications to serve the common good. 


Sun Yat-Sen, Provisional President,
Republic of China (1912), the first
Republic in Asia: "Of the people, by
the people, for the people."
Confucius thought the main reason for this incompetence was the status of the rulers and hereditary aristocrats around them. He regarded most of them as parasites, and wrote in his Analects

“It is difficult to expect anything from men who stuff themselves with food the whole day, while never using their minds in any way at all. Even gamblers do something, and to that degree are better than these idlers.”
 

Like Plato he argued that government needs to be in the hands of the most capable and competent. Ability has nothing to do with birth, nobility, or wealth, but depends on character and knowledge alone, which in turn are the results of education. Confucius called for careers open to talent, in which appointment and advancement would be based on ability, not on property, hereditary rank and title. Contrary to this, oligarchy represents an irrational principle based on domination and repression, justified neither by merit and ability, nor by the results achieved.

Saturday, August 15, 2015

The Demographic Crash of Civilizations

According to the latest United Nations World Population Report, the current global population of 7.3 billion is projected to rise to 8.5 billion by 2030, 9.7 billion by 2050, and 11.2 billion by 2100. Yet, perhaps the most significant development of the twenty-first century is not population growth, but the silent extinction of peoples, nations, cultures, and civilizations.

The so-called "developed world" is neglecting one of the most fundamental responsibilities of any enduring civilization: raising the next generation. Civilization, culture, social cohesion, and economic prosperity all depend on a basic prerequisite—continued human existence. Without reproduction, all other achievements ultimately become irrelevant.


 Prosperity, war, birth control, decadence, exploitation, austerity, abortion, and social decline are all mirrored in the changing age structure of the German population across the years 1910, 1970, 2009, and the projection for 2060. (HERE)
 
Take Germany as an example. The country has a population of approximately 82 million, with a fertility rate of 1.43—a figure that continues to decline. Of this population, around 17 million have a recent immigrant background, and roughly 22 million are retirees. Germany’s labor force still numbers about 40 million, but neoliberal reforms under the Schröder-Merkel governments have contributed to the marginalization of an estimated 11 to 18 million people, creating a socio-economic underclass.

Approximately 8 million working-age adults (18 to 65) are unable to sustain themselves—either unemployed or trapped in precarious, low-wage employment such as contract work, “One-Euro jobs,” part-time roles, mini-jobs, and other exploitative schemes tied to the Hartz labor market reforms. Around half a million Germans are homeless, many of them children, in a system where the remaining taxpayers finance what can only be described as institutionalized social neglect.

The average worker surrenders nearly two-thirds of their gross income to taxation, while the state has poured €400 billion into rescuing failing banks and continues to pay €100 million in daily interest on public debt. Within this socio-economic landscape, roughly 650,000 children are born each year—one-third to parents of immigrant backgrounds—compared to around 840,000 deaths annually, resulting in a net loss of nearly 200,000 people per year.

In essence, as it rapidly ages and grows poorer, Germany loses the equivalent of a mid-sized city every year. Official projections indicate the population will shrink to between 65 and 74 million by 2060, depending on annual net migration levels (ranging from 100,000 to 400,000). Meanwhile, demographic collapse among the native population continues, marked by a third of women remaining childless, over 200,000 abortions annually, and other structural factors contributing to a sustained decline in birth rates.

Combined with immigration policies perceived by critics as prioritizing replacement over integration, Germany faces the potential erasure of its historic national identity within this century. This trajectory is not unique; similar patterns can be observed across nearly all other European nations.

 
 The Pentagon’s all-season recipe for disaster—straight from the NATO playbook—consists of orchestrated regime changes and civil wars, which in turn trigger mass migration and the subsequent settlement of a globalized lumpenproletariat and refugee populations among 30 million unemployed and 120 million impoverished native Europeans. (HERE + HERE + HERE)

As of today, the global average fertility rate stands at 2.3, with 80% of the world’s population living in countries where women, on average, have fewer than three children. This means that global fertility is only marginally above the replacement level, and current population growth is primarily driven by increased life expectancy rather than high birth rates. In 1960, China’s fertility rate was 6.1; today it has fallen to 1.6. Iran’s fertility rate dropped from 6.3 in 1985 to 1.9 today. Thailand followed a similar trajectory: from 6.14 in 1955 to 3.92 in 1985, and down to 1.49 today.

The issue facing the developed world is not only economic stagnation but also demographic decline. Many nations are aging rapidly and experiencing fertility rates well below the replacement threshold—some have arguably passed the demographic point of no return. The lowest fertility rates globally are concentrated in the most industrialized regions of Asia: China (1.55), Japan (1.40), South Korea (1.25), Taiwan (1.11), Hong Kong (1.04), Macau (0.91), and Singapore (0.80). Similarly low, near-extinction fertility rates are seen in parts of Southern Europe and former Soviet states: Portugal (1.52), Spain (1.48), Italy (1.42), Greece (1.41), Poland (1.33), and Ukraine (1.30).

In contrast, Africa remains demographically youthful. In 2015, children under 15 made up 41% of its population, with another 19% aged 15 to 24. Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as much of Asia—regions that have seen substantial fertility declines—show smaller proportions of children (26% and 24%, respectively) and comparable shares of youth (17% and 16%). Together, these three regions were home to 1.7 billion children and 1.1 billion young people in 2015.

Source: UN DESA