专访贲杰民：注意！美国的目标已悄然改变（全文）
长安街知事|记者刘晓琰实习生张信云
近期，中美关系出现缓和的迹象。美国国会参议院多数党领袖舒默率团访华，得到中方的高规格礼遇。此前，中美两国还成立了经济、金融工作组，旨在加强经济领域沟通。
但另一方面，美方于10月17日发布了对华半导体出口管制最终规则，在去年10月7日出台的临时规则基础上，进一步收紧对人工智能相关芯片、半导体制造设备的限制，并将多家中国实体增列入出口管制“实体清单”。
为什么事实证明了制裁效果有限，美国政府依然坚持这条路？如何看待美国目前对华策略？美方的哪些话能信，哪些不能信？
美国《地缘政治经济报告》创始人、外交政策专家贲杰民（BenjaminNorton）就中美关系、“一带一路”倡议等与记者进行了分享。
世界上许多国家都说你永远不能相信美国
知事：您这次来中国待了几天了？对中国的经济和社会发展总体感觉如何？近期美西方的严肃媒体上出现了许多反智反常，令人匪夷所思的报道，比如说，“中国经济将要崩溃”“上海变成了鬼城”等等。一旦对这些报道稍加梳理，就会发现这类说辞破绽百出。您曾经也是一名记者，在媒体界耕耘多年，您认为美西方媒体为何一再误判中国？
本杰明·诺顿：中国的发展水平令人难以叹服。几十年来，西方媒体一直坚称中国“正处于崩溃的边缘”。然而，事实总是一次次证明他们错误。
据估计，今年中国的GDP将增长约5%，与许多停滞甚至衰退的西方经济体相比，这是一个强劲的数字。在新自由主义模式下，西方经济体几十年来一直陷入停滞，经济增长率低，贫困和不平等加剧，政治失灵……西方国家正将自己的不安全感投射到中国身上。
我在中国所见到的不是经济崩溃，而是转型。在经历了快速的经济发展后，中国意识到需要转向更先进的生产模式，强调高附加值的尖端技术生产，这是一种战略性的转变。
尽管美国商务部长雷蒙多明确表示，华盛顿的目标是阻碍中国的创新，但结果却与美国的设想大相径庭。中国在半导体技术方面取得了进步，生产出小至7纳米的芯片。中国的经济持续增长，推动它自信地走向未来。
这些进步，美国媒体并非看不到，而是受到了操纵。美国政府在操纵媒体方面有着悠久的历史：炒作伊拉克有大规模杀伤性武器，炒作俄罗斯通过社交媒体干涉美国大选，如今有又开始针对中国。美国媒体每周都在用一些古怪可笑的事来诬蔑中国。且无一例外，这些指控都没有证据。
中央情报局（CIA）第一任政治战主管弗兰克·威斯纳曾将这种宣传机器比作一种乐器“强大的风琴”(MightyWurlitzer)，他说，它们“能够演奏任何他想要的宣传曲调”，以帮助华盛顿的外交政策。美国政府机构都在利用媒体来影响公众舆论，使美国采取的具有高度侵略性的政策合法化。
美国的目标已悄然改变
知事：美国在半导体领域限制中国也不是什么新鲜事了，但即便如此，在美国的芯片封锁下，中国企业华为今年仍然推出了新手机，搭载的是中国自研芯片。这是否可以证明美国对华科技战失败了？
贲杰明：首先我们需要看清，美国在这场“科技战”中的目标到底是什么。美国商务部长雷蒙多曾明确表示，华盛顿的目标是阻止中国创新。从这个意义上说，这是一个彻底的失败。
美国实际上承认了无法完全阻止中国的技术进步，所以现在的目标是保持领先地位，让中国始终位于身后。
这就是美国的虚伪之处。虽然美国经常强调竞争的意义，但美国公司对来自中国同行的竞争却持抵制态度。这些美企中有不少都得到了美国政府的补贴，与华盛顿保持着密切的联系。美国这些禁令的根本目的是阻止中国公司同美国公司竞争，本质上是操纵游戏规则，阻止公平竞争。
然而中国的发展却有增无减。美国越是依赖制裁，制裁作为武器的威力就越弱。美国沉迷于制裁，不惜违反国际法，这种做法无意中助长了被制裁国家的独立意识。随着时间的推移，制裁不仅会失去效力，还会变得无关紧要。
而且通过对中国、俄罗斯和伊朗等国的制裁，还让这些国家越走越近。它们也专注于培育自己的技术优势，以求摆脱对外国实体的依赖，展示了将逆境转化为自强机会的能力。
10月4日，美国商务部长雷蒙多在参议院商务、科学和交通听证会上作证，以审查芯片和科学的实施和监督。图源：视觉中国
知事：为什么事实证明了制裁效果有限，而且还可能会刺激中国自力更生，但拜登政府依然坚持这条路呢？
贲杰民：在美国，政治和经济之间存在着密切的联系，大型企业的政治献金发挥了关键作用。
研究显示，超过90%的参众议员候选人通过砸钱赢得选举。要想在美国成为政治家，你必须得到大企业的支持，尤其是硅谷和大银行的支持。这些私营实体只以盈利为目标，希望保持其在全球的垄断地位。美国政府正在向这些企业的利益“看齐”，努力扼杀华为等中国公司的竞争潜力。从长期来看，这种做法可能会适得其反。
美国的问题在于，所有的决策基本上都是短期的，主要受到这些大型企业的季度股息驱动，而不是5年、10年甚至20年的长期战略。正是这种短视，导致了美国经济的去工业化，向金融投机的转变。
华盛顿的许多政策都使其经济变得更加脆弱和不稳定，少数寡头却变得更加富有。这一群体在政治体系中的影响力又进一步限制了重大变革。
许多国家都说：你永远不能相信美国
知事：近期中美关系似乎在好转，有观点认为，这是美国向中国妥协的标志，说明美国先扛不住了，所以不得不放下身段，与中国握手言好。但也有观点认为，在这些友好姿态的同时，美国对华的制裁、围堵、脱钩并没有停止，仍然步步压迫。所以这可能是美国的烟雾弹，是在迷惑中方，让中方误以为美国改变了对华态度。您如何看待美国目前对华策略？美方的哪些话能信，哪些不能信？
贲杰民：世界上许多国家都说，你永远不能相信美国。
伊朗经历了惨痛的教训。美国是《联合全面行动计划》（即“伊核协议”）的签署国之一，这项协议得到了联合国安理会的支持，被写入了国际法。结果呢？特朗普当选总统，单方面宣布退出了协议，违反了美国对伊朗的承诺，也违反了国际法。
2018年5月，时任美国总统特朗普宣布退出伊朗核问题全面协议。图源：视觉中国
你也可以问问美国的土著居民，美国曾签署了许多条约，保证会尊重他们的主权，然后发生了什么？
长期以来，美国一直如此：先宣称会做些什么，然后很快违反承诺，因为原来的承诺不再符合其经济利益。
美国现在面临的问题在于，它与中国的经济深度融合，以及曾经有意地去工业化，导致如今“脱钩”是不可能的，就连“去风险”的概念也很荒谬。
美国的经济严重依赖金融服务业，这导致实体生产大幅减少。根据联合国的数据，美国制造业占全球制造业总产值的比重约为14%，而中国占比高达30%，遥遥领先。
华尔街、私人银行、投资基金和“秃鹫基金”占据美国经济的主导地位，这些公司管理着数万亿美元的资产，它们的增长速度呈指数级，远快于实际GDP增长。为少数富人管理财富的实体拥有比整体经济增长更快的资产增长，意味着这个国家正变得越来越不平等。
在这种形势下，美国如何发展新的产供链，实现再工业化？它根本做不到。更不幸的是，美国在政治上也失灵了。
奥巴马与伊朗达成一项协议，特朗普上任就会单方面废除。如果拜登政府签署了一份文件，特朗普再次当选怎么办？或者德桑蒂斯成为总统怎么办？美国不仅有背信弃义的历史传统，还有新政府上台就抛弃上任政府政策的传统。你不能完全信赖美国，这是一个经济和政治功能失调的国家。
幸好中国、俄罗斯和许多其他国家已经认识到，未来取决于跨地区的经济一体化，比如亚洲或“全球南方”的合作。
全球南方的机会来了
知事：中国是“全球南方”的当然成员，致力于提高“全球南方”的国际话语权。今年金砖国家迎来扩员，在中国的努力下，非盟加入了G20，这是G20成立以来第一次扩员。美国长期以来一直是国际事务中的主导力量，如今是否受到了挑战？
本杰明·诺顿：长期以来，美国在国际舞台上自诩为“世界领导者”，但其扮演的角色一直备受争议。实际上，美国经常违背国际社会的共识。
美国对古巴的非法禁运就是一个典型例子。三十年来，几乎所有国家都在联合国大会上投票反对美国的做法，唯一支持美国搞禁运的只有以色列。但美国每年都在联合国大会上宣称自己是“国际法的捍卫者”，极其荒谬。
美国一再展示着对国际法的漠视，试图通过所谓的“基于规则的国际秩序”来取代国际法。“基于规则”的概念非常模糊，美国从未对其进行明确定义，实际上就是由美国来制定规则。
几十年来，“全球南方”国家对美国一直心存不满，但苦于没有其他选择。美国是世界上最大的经济体，拥有巨大的市场。“全球南方”中以出口为导向的国家需要美国市场。他们担心美国的制裁，也害怕美国可能会入侵或发动军事干预，就像我们在伊拉克、利比亚、阿富汗和叙利亚看到的那样。
但现在情况变了。中国经济显著发展，越南、印尼、巴西崛起，替代方案出现了。各国不再完全依赖美国，这给了他们反抗压迫的政治空间，他们希望建立代表自己利益的新机构。
在古巴举行的“77国集团和中国”峰会声明中，强调了现有的国际金融机构如国际货币基金组织和世界银行的不平等和不公正，他们主张建立新的国际经济秩序。
其实“全球南方”国家早在50多年前就发出了这一呼吁，但遭到了忽视，因为当年没有这些西方主导的国际金融机构的替代品，如今机会来了。
知事：77国集团并非只有77个国家，实际上已经发展到134个成员国，为什么77国集团、金砖国家和G20都在持续扩员，而G7很难扩员？
本杰明·诺顿：首先我们应该记住，G7是踩在77国集团的背上建立起来的。
G7曾殖民了世界的大部分地区，本质上代表了“殖民大国的卡特尔”。直到今天，他们依然坚持应该主宰整个世界的观念，因为这些国家从未真正经历过非殖民化的进程。
纵观历史，G7只增加了一个新成员，那就是苏联解体后的俄罗斯。美国将俄罗斯拉入这个“西方专属俱乐部”成为G8，直到2014年乌克兰危机爆发，俄罗斯被驱逐出G8。
而77国集团以及金砖国家等主要是由曾经被殖民的国家组成的，目的是在政治和经济上团结起来维护共同利益。77国集团的经济一直在持续增长，其134个成员国的人口占世界的80%以上，代表了这个地球上绝大多数人类的利益，而G7只代表了前殖民大国的利益。
而且，按购买力平价计算，G7在世界GDP中所占的份额约为29%，这个数字还在缩小。而金砖国家经济约占全球GDP的三分之一，这一数字仍在上升。
在新自由主义时代，西方经济日益金融化和去工业化，依靠“全球南方”国家生产其所需的商品，这种模式是不可持续的和剥削性的，“全球南方”国家的工人被过度剥削，只为少数“全球北方”国家的利益服务。这种制度不可持续也不公平，“全球南方”国家一直在呼吁建立新的国际经济秩序。
现在，金砖国家已经展示了创建新机构的潜力，比如新开发银行、亚洲基础设施投资银行，这都是向前迈出的重要一步。
英国新自由主义领袖玛格丽特·撒切尔有一句名言：“别无选择。”但金砖国家证明了替代方案确实存在。
中国正在展示资金利用的新方式
知事：上月，往返于美国佛罗里达州迈阿密和奥兰多市的高铁线路正式开通，运营速度仅为每小时200公里。这趟高铁线总长度为378公里，单程时长为3小时，耗时比驾车仅仅少30分钟。据报道，第1天正式运行时，还意外撞死了一位横穿铁路的行人。今年，美国已经发生了不少于三起运送危险化学品的列车脱轨事件。拜登说，美国曾拥有世界第一的基础设施。那么如今美国的基础设施建设为什么落后了？
贲杰民：美国的基础设施正在经历字面意义上的“崩溃”：桥梁在坍塌，火车在出轨。这是美国经济结构的金融化和几十年来实施新自由主义政策的恶果。这些政策将资金从基础设施和生产投资中抽离，流向了金融投机，催生了巨大的投机性资产泡沫。这实际上无法改善人民的生活，只能使一小波富人受益。
铁路行业盈利并不丰厚，却是其他行业所需的基础设施。但在美国，不仅银行是私有的，所有的基础设施也都私有化了，铁路，公路、供水系统、电网和电信网络已经或正在加速私有化。大企业（特别是车企）频繁游说政客，阻止在铁路方面进行大量投资。美国的“高铁”速度很慢，无法与中国或其他东亚国家相比。
等到美国想要修建大型基础设施时，问题又来了：资金从哪儿来？谁将从中受益？这就是美国的困境。为了修铁路，不仅要与强大的汽车游说集团抗衡，还要确保获利丰厚。如果一个项目在美国不盈利，它通常就不会开花结果。
相关报道截图
知事：既然美国国内基础设施建设已经捉襟见肘，为什么还在过去三年中，每年都提出一个声称要资助发展中国家搞基础设施建设的倡议？美国媒体还特别喜欢把这些倡议和中国的“一带一路”倡议对比，您对此有何看法？
贲杰民：美国喜欢造新词，说“我们有新项目”，承诺“我们将开发所有这些项目”，但实际上开发的项目非常少，要么没做成，要么建设时间比声称的晚了很多年，还贵得多。美国只是因为目睹了中国在基础设施建设方面取得了巨大成功，才声称自己也要努力发展基础设施项目。
这就是为什么这么多国家，尤其是“全球南方”国家，在发展基础设施方面寻求与中国合作，因为中国会说到做到，而美国在“画饼”方面无出其右。
中国的“一带一路”倡议绝对是不可思议的壮举，在许多方面深刻地改变着世界。
首先，多年来，“全球南方”国家迫切需要基础设施投资。美欧不断宣称自己是他们的朋友，会帮助他们，然而情况却往往相反。
在英国对印度的殖民统治之前，印度的制造业比1947年独立后的更庞大。在殖民期间，英国企业为了把印度变成英国商品的倾销地，摧毁了印度先进的纺织工业。殖民体系崩溃后，美西方国家采取了新殖民主义政策，声称他们将帮助这些新兴发展中国家发展。
西非的许多国家一直在法国的控制下，包括他们的货币，被称为非洲法郎（CFAfranc）。那么，这些国家的经济发展了吗？他们的基础设施建设起来了吗？
10月10日，法军从尼日尔撤离行动开启，第一批驻尼法国士兵离开尼亚美。图源：视觉中国
当然没有。这就是为什么许多非洲领导人常开玩笑说，每次西方官员访问非洲，他们就会受一通教训。而每次中国来访，他们将有机会建起一座桥、一个医院、一个港口。
中国用“一带一路”倡议向“全球南方”国家表明，中国会帮助他们发展基础设施，从这个意义上说，“一带一路”倡议是革命性的。
此外，“一带一路”倡议的另一个重要意义，就是通过它的实施，中国正在展示如何利用资金促进生产和帮助全球发展经济，而不是专注于金融投机。这一点虽然讨论得不多，但我认为至关重要。
西方那些奉行新自由主义的国家，都在处理生产出来的盈余(尽管美国长期存在经常账户赤字)。比如挪威，该国拥有庞大的主权财富基金。这些资金投到哪里去了？投资于西方企业的股票，这将增强这些企业的实力；投资于美国国债等债券，这将为美国庞大的经常账户赤字提供资金；投资于房地产，这将进一步扩大房地产市场的投机泡沫。
10月3日，由中企投资、建设和运营的刚果（金）萨卡尼亚陆港项目举行落成典礼。图源：新华社
而中国在上述选择之外，还将资金投入到有形的基础设施，投入到提高人们生活水平的实体。因此，我们看到了中国人民银行正在逐渐去美元化，减少持有的美国国债。
中国还将利用这些过剩的资金和盈余来促进全球经济发展，通过帮助其他“全球南方”国家，中国不仅促成了更多互利合作，还找到了一条富有成效的盈余投资途径，并创造了新市场。
知事：美国将来会想加入“一带一路”倡议吗？您觉得有这个可能吗？
本杰明·诺顿：美国要参与“一带一路”，就需要一场“革命”。美国的问题在于，政治体系完全被少数公司和金融利益集团所控制。在这种制度下，只有从大企业和大金融公司获得更多资金的政治家才能赢得选举，这本质上是一种用钱买选票的民主，它在美国是合法的。而在许多别的国家，这是贿赂。
为了与中国进行双赢的合作，美国需要从根本上改变其政治制度。不幸的是，我们看到了美国政治体系的瘫痪，这就是为什么美国有这么多人，特别是我们这一代的年轻人，认识到这个国家需要进行彻底的变革。我们有两个政党，在很多方面非常相似：相同的新自由主义经济政策、相同的“鹰派”好战外交政策。我们如果想从根本上打破现行体制，就需要一个新的政治运行系统。
我们可以向中国学习很多东西，这就是为什么大量来自世界各地的学者、记者来到这里，也是占据全球人口八成的“全球南方”国家把目光投向中国的原因。
如果美国能更谦虚一些，如果其政治制度有根本性的改变，它就可以与中国进行双赢的合作，可以成为“一带一路”倡议的一部分。但不幸的是，那一小撮控制政治体系的金融寡头不会答应。
以下为本次专访的英文原文：
TheBenjaminNortonInterview:Attention!U.S.ObjectivesQuietlyShifted
Recently,China-UnitedStatesrelationsappearstoshowsomesignsofdétente.Amongothers,U.S.SenateMajorityLeaderChuckSchumerledacongressionaldelegationtoChinaandwasaccordedahighlevelofcourtesyinChina.Earlier,ChinaandtheUnitedStateslaunchedapairofeconomicandfinancialworkinggroupsinanefforttodeepeneconomiccommunicationbetweenthetwocountries.
Ontheotherhand,onOctober17th,theU.S.releasedthreefinalrulestoupdatethesemiconductorexportcontrolsissuedonOctober7,2022forfurthertighteningexportrestrictionsonchipsthatsupportartificialintelligenceandsemiconductormanufacturingequipmenttoChina,andaddanumberofChineseentitiestothe“EntityList”.
PeoplemaywonderwhytheU.S.insistsonwieldingthestickofsanctions,thoughsanctionshaveprovedtobeofverylimitedeffect.HowaboutthecurrentU.S.strategytowardChina?WhichwordsfromtheU.S.sideistrust-worthyandwhichisnot?
IncollaborationwithRDCY,CapitalNewshaslaunchedthe“GlobalGovernanceForum”section.BenjaminNorton,founderandeditor-in-chiefofGeopoliticalEconomyReport,foreignpolicyexpert,sharedwithusonChina-USrelationsandtheBeltandRoadInitiative.
FruitlesssanctionsmakeforatrustbankruptedU.S.
CapitalNews:HowwasyourvisittoBeijingthistime?ThereasonwhyIasksuchaquestionisthat,lately,we'vebeenseeingsomereallybewilderingreportsinseriousWesternmedia.Youknow,stufflike'China'seconomyisonthebrinkofcollapse'or'Shanghaiislikeaghosttown'andwhatnot.Butifyoudigabitdeeper,you'llfindallsortsofholesinthesestories.Givenyourbackgroundasajournalistwithyears,whydoyouthinkWesternmediakeepsgettingChinasowrong?
BenjaminNorton:It'sincredibletoseethelevelofdevelopmentinChina.TheWesternmediahasconsistentlyasserted,fordecades,thatChinaisonthevergeofcollapse.However,it'salwaysproventobefalse.EventheclaimthatChina’seconomyisnotexperiencinggrowthisequallyridiculous.China’sGDPisestimatedtogrowbyaround5%thisyear,arobustfigurewhencomparedtomanyWesterneconomieswhichareeitherstagnantoreveninrecession.InEurope,multipleeconomiesareslippingintorecession,andthesituationlookslikeitcouldgetevenworseinthenearfuture.Thishighlightsaphenomenonknownaspsychologicalprojection,whereinoneattributestheirownproblemstotheiradversary.
Whatwe'rewitnessinginChinaisnotaneconomiccollapse,butratheratransition.Chinahasexperiencedrapideconomicdevelopmentandhasbuiltinfrastructureatanincrediblerate.Presently,thegovernmentandmanyeconomistsrecognizetheneedtoshifttowardsmoreadvancedformsofproduction,emphasizinghigh-value-addedproductionofcutting-edgetechnologies.ThisisastrategicshiftfromChina'searlierfocusonlowervalue-addedproductsintheindustrialproductionchain.Now,Chinahasundeniablyemergedasoneoftheworld'sforemosttechnologicalpowers.DespiteexplicitstatementsfromU.S.CommerceSecretaryGinaRaimondoaboutWashington'saimtohinderChina'sinnovation,wehavewitnessedtheoppositeunfold.Chinahasmadesignificantstrides,particularlyinsemiconductortechnology,producingchipsassmallas7nanometers.DespitetheU.S.sanctions,whichareillegalaccordingtointernationallaw,whatwe’reseeingisaneconomictransitionawayfromafocusonphysicalinfrastructureproductiontoafocusontechnologicalproductionandthedevelopmentofhumancapital.Whileanyeconomyundergoingsuchatransitionmayencounterchallenges,Chinaisunequivocallyprogressing.Itseconomycontinuestogrow,propellingitconfidentlyintothefuture.
ItiscrucialtoreiteratethatthisappearstobeacaseofWesterneconomies,whichhavebeenmiredinstagnationunderanewliberalmodelfordecades,experiencingminimalgrowth.Theseeconomieshavewitnessedanincreaseinpovertyandinequality,alongwithescalatingpoliticaldysfunction.ItseemstomethatthewesterncountriesareprojectingtheirowninsecuritiesonChina.
TheunfortunaterealityisthatintheUnitedStates,thereisagrowingnumberofpeoplewhoholdanegativeviewofChina,butthissentimentisnotorganic.Itislargelyaresultofmediapropaganda.ThelevelofpropagandaintheU.S.mediaisextreme.EveryweekChinaisaccusedofoutlandishandridiculousthings.
Almostinvariably,thereislittletonoevidencetosupporttheseclaims.ThisisreminiscentofthepropagandaleadinguptotheinvasionofIraq.IvividlyrecallwhentheUnitedStatesgovernmentincessantlyassertedthattheIraqigovernmentpossessedweaponsofmassdestructionandposedathreattotheentireplanet.ThemediaunquestioninglyechoedtheseunsubstantiatedclaimsfromtheU.S.governmentwithoutdemandinganyevidence.WesawasimilarscenariowithLibyainthelead-uptothe2011war.U.S.mediapropagatedfalseclaimsaboutMuammarGaddafiandtheLibyangovernment,whichwereusedtojustifytheNATOinterventionthatledtothedestructionoftheLibyanstate.
Now,thereispropagandaaboutRussia,alleginginterferenceinU.S.electionsthroughmeansonFacebookandTwitter,andevensuggestingthatRussiamanipulatedthe2016elections.Thesearebaselessallegations.Thereisneveranyconcreteevidencepresented.Andnow,ChinaissubjectedtoaconstantbarrageofpropagandaonTVandsocialmedia,filledwith,frankly,falsehoodsaboutChina.Thisexplainswhy,unfortunately,therearepeoplewhonowholdanegativeviewofChina.However,pollsshowthat20yearsago,manypeopleintheU.S.heldaverypositiveviewofChina.So,thisnegativityisnotorganic;it'snotbecauseordinarypeopleintheU.S.simplyharborillfeelingstowardChina.
Unfortunately,thisnegativitystemsfrommanipulation.NotedscholarsintheUnitedStates,NoamChomskyandthelateEdwardHerman,authoredabooktitled'ManufacturingConsent.'ItdelvesintothepoliticaleconomyofmassmediaintheU.S.,illustratinghowmediainstitutions,incollaborationwiththeU.S.government,particularlywithintelligenceagenciessuchastheCIA,andthePentagon,disseminatepropagandathroughthemediatofurtherWashington'sforeignpolicyinterests.ThiswasevidentintheKoreanWar,theVietnamWar,andtheIraqWar,whereconstantlieswerespreadtojustifyU.S.policy.
Forexample,duringtheonsetoftheVietnamWar,afalsenarrativewasconstructedaroundtheGulfofTonkinincident,portrayingVietnameseforcesasaggressorsagainsttheUnitedStates.Inreality,itwastheUnitedStatesthatinitiatedtheconflict,butVietnamwasunfairlyblamedinthemedia,withthesefalsehoodsoriginatingfromtheU.S.government.Thispatternrepeatsinhistory.
TheU.S.hasalonghistoryofmanipulatingthemedia.Infact,aformerCIAofficial,oneoftheco-foundersoftheU.S.spyagency,likenedthemediatoa'MightyWurlitzer,'atypeofmusicalinstrument.HewasemphasizinghowtheCIAdeftlyusesthemediatoshapepublicopinion,essentiallyorchestratingsupportforaggressiveU.S.policies.
Regrettably,todaywewitnessastarkexampleofthismanipulation,withU.S.governmentagencies,especiallyintelligencebodiesliketheCIA,andthemilitary,alongwithothergovernmententities,leveragingthemediatoswaypublicopinionandlegitimizethesehighlyaggressivepolicies.
CapitalNews:Youjusttalkaboutthesemiconductorrestriction,actually,theU.S.hasahistoryofrestrictingChinainthefield,sothisisn'tentirelynew.Yet,evenwiththesechiprestrictionsintheU.S.,Huawei,forinstance,stillmanagedtorolloutnewphonesthisyearwithchipstheydevelopedthemselves.CouldthismeansafailureofU.S.techwaragainstChina?
BenjaminNorton:WehavetoaskwhatWashington’sgoalisinthistechwar.GinaRaimondo,theU.S.commercesecretary,saidclearlythatWashington’sgoalistopreventChinafrominnovating.Inthatsense,itisacompletefailure.ButnowtheUnitedStatesactuallyacknowledgesitsinabilitytoentirelyimpedeChina'stechnologicalprogress.Instead,itsgoalistomaintainalead,keepingChinaafewyearsbehind.
ThehypocrisyoftheU.S.isevidenthere.Whileitfrequentlyemphasizescompetitionandthenecessityofhavingdiversecompetitors,itscorporationsareresistanttocompetitionfromtheirChinesecounterparts.ManyofthesefirmsaresubsidizedbyWashingtonandmaintainclosetieswithit.TheunderlyingobjectiveofthesesanctionsistopreventChinesecompaniesfromeffectivelycompetingwiththeseAmericancorporations.Essentially,theU.S.isriggingtherulesofthegame,preventingfaircompetition,despitealltherhetoricontheimportanceofcompetition.
However,Chinacontinuesitsdevelopmentunabated.NowthemoretheU.S.reliesonsanctions,theweakerthesanctionsasaweapongets.TheU.S.isaddictedtosanctions,regardlessofbreachinginternationallaws.Infact,thisapproachisinadvertentlyfosteringasenseofindependenceinthesanctionedcountries.Overtime,notonlydothesanctionslosetheirbite,buttheyalsoveertowardsirrelevance.ByimposingsanctionsonnationslikeChina,Russia,andIran,theU.S.notonlycompelsthesecountriestobolstertheirownindustriesandmakeapitchforindependencebutalsoencouragesthemtoforgeclosertieswithoneanother.
CapitalNews:Butwhy,whentheevidenceshowsthatsanctionshavelimitedeffectivenessandmightevenspurChinatobemoreself-reliant,doestheBidenadministrationstillinsistonthispath?
BenjaminNorton:BecauseintheUnitedStates,thereexistsatight-knitrelationshipbetweenthepoliticalandeconomicclasses.Largecorporationsplayapivotalroleinfinancingpoliticalcampaigns,withstudiesrevealingthatover90%ofcandidatesvyingforseatsintheHouseandSenatewhosecuresubstantialfundingtendtowinelections.So,ifyouwanttobeapoliticianintheU.S.,youhavetogetthesupportfrombigcorporations,particularlythoseinSiliconValleyandthebigbanks.
Theseprivatelyownedfirmsgearedonlytowardscorporateprofitability.Theyprefertomaintaintheirlong-heldpositionsasdominantmonopoliesintheworld.Consequently,theU.S.governmentisactinginalignmentwiththesecorporations’interests,endeavoringtostiflethecompetitivepotentialofChinesefirmssuchasHuaweiandothers,despitethefactthatinthelongterm,thisisgoingtobackfire.
ThecruxofthematterintheUnitedStatesisthatalldecision-makingispredominantlyshort-terminnature,drivenbyquarterlydividendsforthestockholdersofthesecorporategiants,ratherthanlong-termstrategiesextendingover5,10,oreven20years.Suchamyopiahasledtothede-industrializationoftheU.S.economyandashifttowardsfinancialspeculation.SomanyofWashingtonpolicieshavemadeasmallhandfulofwealthyoligarchsintheU.S.evenricherattheexpenseofaweakerandmoreunstableeconomy.Thegroup’sgreatinfluenceinthepoliticalsystemforestallsanysignificantchange.
CapitalNews:Lately,itseemslikethere'sbeenadetenteinU.S.-Chinarelations.SomebelievethisisasignoftheU.S.makingconcessionstoChina,suggestingthatperhapstheU.S.isfindingittoughtoholditsgroundandhastosetasidepridetoshakehandswithChina.However,whiletheU.S.isshowingthesefriendlygestures,ithasn'tstoppeditssanctions,containment,andattemptsatde-riskingwithChina.It'sstillapplyingpressurestepbystep.So,thiscouldbeseenasabitofasmokescreenfromtheU.S.,potentiallytoconfuseChina,makingChinathinkthattheU.S.ischangingitsstancetowardsU.S..What'syourtakeonthecurrentU.S.strategytowardsChina?WhatstatementsfromtheU.S.canbetrusted,andwhatshouldbetakenwithagrainofsalt?
BenjaminNorton:ManycountriesaroundtheworldsayyoucannevertrusttheU.S..Iranlearnedthatthehardway.TheU.S.wasoneofthesignatoriesoftheJointComprehensivePlanofAction,thenucleardealwithIran.ThisagreementwasbackedbytheUNSecurityCouncil.Itwaswrittenintointernationallaw.Whathappened?DonaldTrumpwaselectedpresident,andheunilaterallywithdrewfromtheagreement,violatingtheU.S.’spromisestoIranandviolatinginternationallaw.
YoucanalsoasknativepeoplesinAmericawhathappenedaftertheU.S.governmentsignedtreatiesclaimingthatitwouldrespecttheirsovereignty,respecttheirlandrights.So,there’salonghistoryoftheU.S.claimingthatitwilldosomething,andthenviolatingthatagreementsoonafterwhenitnolongerservesitseconomicinterests.
TheproblemfacingtheU.S.liesinitsdeepeconomicintegrationwithChinaanditslong-standingde-industrializationinawaywheredecouplingisimpossible,eventhenotionofde-riskingisridiculous.Notably,thevastmajorityofU.S.GDPcomesfromtheservicessectorratherthanfromactualproduction.
AccordingtoUNdata,theU.S.economycurrentlyaccountsforapproximately14%ofglobalmanufacturingproduction,whileChinatakestheleadwithashareof30%.WallStreet,privatebanks,investmentfunds,andvulturefundsholdswayintheU.S.economy.Thesefirmsnowmanagetrillionsofdollarsinassets,andtheirgrowthrateisatanexponentialrate,muchfasterthanactualGDPgrowth.
Theyaremanagersofthewealthofasmallhandfulofrichelites,whoareexperiencingfasterassetgrowththantheoveralleconomicexpansion.Consequently,thecountryisbecomingincreasinglyunequal.
SohowistheU.S.goingtodevelopnewindustrialsupplychainsandre-industrializeamidstsuchacomplexsituation?Itsimplycannotdo.Andmoreunfortunately,therealityisthattheU.S.isalsopoliticallydysfunctional.Forinstance,apresidentlikeBarackObamamaysignanagreementwithacountrylikeIran,onlyforthenextpresident,aswasthecasewithTrump,tounilaterallywithdrawfromthatveryagreement,suchastheIrannucleardeal.Youcan’tsimplyentirelytrusttheU.S.,becausethisisacountrythatisdysfunctionaleconomicallyandpolitically.
Fortunately,therealityisthatChina,alongwithRussiaandothercountries,haverecognizedthatthefutureliesineconomicintegrationacrossregions,suchasinAsiaorthroughGlobalSouthcooperation.
U.S.’scrumblinginfrastructuregoesagainstitslipservice
CapitalNews:InSeptember,anewhigh-speedtrainrouteopenedbetweenMiamiandOrlandoinFlorida.Itrunsataspeedofjust200kilometersperhour.Thetotallengthofthisrouteis378kilometers,andaone-waytriptakeseven3hours,only30minutesfasterthandriving.It'sworthnotingthat,onitsveryfirstdayofoperation,therewasanunfortunateincidentwhereapedestrianwasaccidentallyhitwhilecrossingthetracks.Thisyear,theU.S.hasexperiencednolessthan3incidentsoftrainscarryinghazardousmaterialsderailing.PresidentBidenmentionedthattheU.S.U.S.edtohavetheworld'stop-notchinfrastructure.So,whyisAmerica'sinfrastructurefallingbehindnowadays?
BenjaminNorton:TheU.S.infrastructureisfallingapart,quiteliterally.Everywherewelook,bridgesarecollapsing,andtrainsareconstantlyderailing.ThisisduetotheneoliberalpoliciesoffinancializationthattheU.S.governmenthasbeenimplementingfordecades.Thesepolicieshavedivertedfundsawayfrominfrastructureandproductioninvestments,withcapitalpredominantlydirectedtowardsfinancialspeculation,inflatinglargebubblesofspeculativeassets.Thisdoesn'tactuallyleadtoanimprovementinthelivesofthepeople.Itprimarilybenefitsasmallgroupofwealthyindividuals.
Railwayindustryisnotveryprofitable,anditisactuallytheinfrastructureofotherindustries.ButallinfrastructureintheU.S.isprivatized.NotonlyamItalkingaboutrailroads,whichareallprivatized,butevenroads,watersystems,powergrid,telecommunicationsgridsareincreasinglyprivatized.Largecorporations,bigautocompaniesinparticular,lobbythegovernmenttopreventtheconstructionofpublictransportationlikerailways.Asaresultofthat,theU.S.’srailwaytrainsareslowintermsofbothitsbuildingandspeed,ascomparedtoChina,orevenotherEastAsiancountries.
WhenevertheU.S.wantstobuildbiginfrastructures,itcomestothetwoquestionsagainthatwhereisthefundingandwhoisthebeneficiaryonearth.ThisisthepredicamentintheU.S..Toestablishadvancedrailroads,onemustnotonlycontendwiththepowerfulcarlobbiesbutalsofindawaytomakeitfinanciallyviable.Ifaprojectisn'tprofitableintheU.S.,itoftendoesn'tcometofruition.
CapitalNews:TheU.S.isstrugglingwithitsowndomesticinfrastructure,whyhasitbeenputtingforthinitiativeseveryyearforthepast3yearsclaimingtosupportdevelopingcountriesintheirinfrastructuredevelopment?We’vealsonoticedthatAmericanmediaoftencompareditsinfrastructureinitiativeslikeB3WandIMECtoChina’sBRI.Whatisyouropiniononthat?
BenjaminNorton:TheU.S.lovestocreatenewphrasesandsay,'Wehavethisnewprogram;we’regoingtodevelopalltheseprojects,'butactuallyvery,veryfewprojectsaredevelopedandsomeareneverrealized.Oriftheyare,theinfrastructureisbuiltmanyyearspastthedatetheyclaimeditwouldbe,andit’smuchmoreexpensivethantheyclaimeditwouldbe.TheU.S.issimplyrespondingtoChina’smassivesuccessininfrastructuredevelopment.
That’swhysomanycountries,especiallydevelopingcountriesintheGlobalSouth,arelookingtoChinaforhelpindevelopinginfrastructurebecauseChinahasactually,aswesayinEnglish,'putitsmoneywhereitsmouthis.'Ithasactuallyaccomplishedwhatitsaysit’sgoingtodo.TheU.S.isthemasteroflipservice,sayingsomethingbutnotactuallydoingit.
TheBRIisabsolutelyincredible,andIthinkitreallyischangingtheworldinmanyprofoundways.Firstofall,manycountriesintheGlobalSouthhavedesperatelyneededinvestmentininfrastructureformanyyears.TheUnitedStatesandtheEuropeanpowershaveconstantlyclaimedtothesecountriesthatthey’retheirallies.They’regoingtohelpthem.However,thecaserunstheotherwayaround.
India,forexample,hadalargermanufacturingsectorbeforeBritishcolonialismthanitdidaftertheendofBritishcolonialismwithindependencein1947.Inthecolonialera,BritishfirmstakeIndiaasthedumpingfieldoftheirgoods,andthusdestroyeditsthenadvancedtextileindustry.Andafterthecollapseofcolonialsystem,theU.S.andEuropeancountrieshavemaintainedneo-colonialpolicies,claimingthatthey’regoingtohelpthesecountriesdevelop.ManycountriesinWestAfricaarelongcontrolledbyFrance,includingtheircurrencies,whichiscalledtheCFAfranc.Yet,whathashappenedinthesecountries?Havetheydevelopedeconomically?Havetheydevelopedinfrastructure?Ofcoursenot.
ThisiswhymanyAfricanleadershavejokedthateverytimeaWesternofficialvisitsanAfricannation,theygetalecture.EverytimeChinavisits,theygetabridge,theygetahospital,theygetaport.
So,China’sBRIhasactuallyshownthatit’sgoingtohelpthesecountriesintheGlobalSouthdevelopinfrastructure.Inthatsense,theBRIisrevolutionaryandisprovidingalotofopportunitiesfortheGlobalSouth.Furthermore,IthinkanotherimportantaspectoftheBRIthatisnotdiscussedmuchbutIbelieveiscritical,isthatbyimplementingthisambitiousinternationalproject,Chinaisshowinghowcapitalcanbeusedtoadvanceproductionandhelpdeveloptheglobaleconomy,ratherthansimplyinvestinginfinancialspeculation.
TheWesternneo-liberalcountriesaredealingwiththesurplusthatisproduced(althoughtheU.S.haschronicallyhadacurrentaccountdeficit).Forinstance,Norwayhasamassivesovereignwealthfund.Whereisthatcapitalinvested?It’sinvestedinstocksofWesterncorporations,whichhelpstostrengthenWesterncorporations.It’sinvestedinbondslikeU.S.Treasurybonds,whichhelpsfundthemassiveU.S.currentaccountdeficit.Itisinvestedinrealestate,whichhelpsfurtherinflateabubbleofassetpricespeculationintherealestatemarket.
Chinaisassertingthatinsteadofmerelyspeculatingwiththatcapitalandsurplus,theyareinvestingitintangibleinfrastructure-inthingsthatenhancepeople’slives.Sowe'vewitnessedthePeople’sBankofChinagraduallyde-dollarizing,meaningit'sreducingitsholdingsofU.S.Treasurysecurities.
Chinaisnowdeclaringthatthey'llutilizethisexcesscapitalandsurplustofosterglobaleconomicdevelopment,toconstructinfrastructure,andestablishnewtraderoutes.Therefore,Chinamustcultivatefreshmarketsandestablishnewtradepartners.
CapitalNews:CanyouimaginethatonedaycantheAmericaparticipateintheBeltandRoadInitiative?Didyouthinktherehasasuchkindofopportunity?
BenjaminNorton:FortheU.S.toengageintheBRI,itwouldneedarevolution.TheproblemintheUnitedStatesisthatthepoliticalsystemiscompletelycontrolledbyasmallhandfulofcorporateinterests,byfinancialinterests.Itisnotademocraticsystem.Itisasysteminwhichpoliticianswhohavemorefundingfromlargecorporationsandlargefinancialfirmswinelections.Soessentially,it’sademocracyinwhichmoneybuysvotes.Weseethroughthingslike,forinstance,theSupremeCourtrulingCitizensUnited,whichdeclaredthatdonationsinpoliticsareaformofdemocracyandthatcorporationshavethesamelegalrightsaspeople.Thatistosay,intheelections,intheUnitedStates,largecorporatefirms,that’stosay,oligarchicinterests,canbuytheelections.ThatislegalintheUnitedStates.Inmanycountries,thatwouldbecalledbribery.IntheUnitedStates,thatislegal.
InorderfortheUnitedStatestoengageinwin-wincooperationwithChina,itneedsafundamentalchangeinitspoliticalsystem.Unfortunately,weseethisparalysisinthepoliticalsystem.Wehavetwopoliticalpartiesthatare,inmanyways,verysimilar.TheysharemanyofthesameNeo-liberaleconomicpolicies.Theysharemuchofthesamehawkishwar-mongeringforeignpolicy.Weneedafundamentalbreakfromthesystem.Weneedanewsystem.Ithinkthere’salotwecanlearnfromChina.Sothat’swhyI’mhereinChinatolearnabouttheeconomicsystemandthepoliticalsystem.That’swhysomanystudents,scholarsandjournalistsfromaroundtheworldarehereinChina.That’swhyformuchofthelowpopulationintheGlobalSouth,whichiswhereover80%oftheworldpopulationlives,they’renotlookingtotheWestasthefutureofeconomicdevelopment.TheyarelookingtowardChina.
IthinktheU.S.,ifitweremorehumble,andiftherewereafundamentalchangetoitspoliticalsystem,itcouldengageinwin-wincooperationwithChina,anditcouldbepartoftheBeltandRoadInitiative,whichcouldbetrulyinternational,thatallcountriescouldparticipateinit.
Anincreasinglymulti-polarworldcallsfornewinstitutions
CapitalNews:Thismonth,representativesfromover130countriesgatheredintheCubancapitalforthe'Groupof77+China'summit.TheGroupof77wasfoundedin1964initiallytocountertheunfaireconomicorderledbyWesterncountries,especiallytheU.S.,andtosafeguardtheinterestsofdevelopingnations.Overthecourseofmorethanhalfacentury,itsmembershiphasgrownto134countriestoday.Giventhelong-standingU.S.containmentandpressureonChina,manydevelopingnationscanrelate.Article8ofthedeclarationstronglyopposesunilateralsanctionsondevelopingcountries,whileArticle10explicitlycondemnsunfairpracticesliketechnologicalmonopoliesthathindertechnologicaldevelopmentindevelopingcountries.HowdoyouthinktheU.S.viewsthevoicesofthesedevelopingcountries?
BenjaminNorton:Weshouldkeepinmindthat1/4oftheglobalpopulationlivesincountriesthathavebeensanctionedbytheUnitedStates,andalsobytheEuropeanUnion.Thesecountriesrepresentroughly1/3ofglobalGDP,sothesesanctionsimposedbytheWesternpowersarenotonlyagainstasmallhandfulofcountries.
Thenumberofsanctionsincreaseseveryyear.WecanseeonagraphthatwitheachdifferentpresidentialadministrationintheU.S.,thenumberhasincreasedrapidly.So,thesesanctionsviolateinternationallaw.TheygoagainstinternationallawandtheUNCharter,whichclearlystatesthatforsanctionstobeimposed,theymusthavetheapprovaloftheUNSecurityCouncil.AccordingtothetopUnitedNationsexpertonsanctions,theSpecialRapporteurAlenaDouhan,98%ofthesanctionsimposedintheworldareillegal.ThesearethesanctionsthattheU.S.andtheWesternpowershaveimposedonRussia,Iran,Venezuela,Cuba,Nicaragua,Syria,Zimbabwe,andtheDPRK.Therearesomanycountriessufferingundertheweightoftheseunilateralsanctions.
Frequently,wehearfromtheUnitedStatesthattherearetargetedsanctionsagainstindividualsorsectors.Butthat'snothowsanctionsworkbecausesanctions,bytheirverynature,areabluntinstrumentofcollectivepunishment.Whattheydoistheypreventforeignfirmsfromworkingwithsanctionedcountries.So,IhavespentquiteabitoftimeinVenezuela.I’vebeentoVenezuelaseveraltimes.I’vetalkedtoVenezuelanofficials.TheyhavefrequentlysaidthattheU.S.claimstherearehumanitarianexemptionsforitssanctions.Butinreality,Venezuelacannotbuycertainmedicines,medicalequipmentandcertainmachinepartsthatitneedstorepairitspublictransportationsectorbecauseforeigncompaniesareafraidofdoingbusinesswithVenezuela.Evenifthey’renotdirectlysanctioned,they’reafraidofsecondarysanctions.
Andalso,furthermore,manyinsurancecompaniessimplyrefusetosellinsurancetocompaniesthataretradingwithsanctionedcountries.Whatweseeisanover-compliancewithsanctions.Sanctionshaveresultedineconomiccrisisandhumanitariancrises,leadingtomanypreventabledeaths.Now,thisiswhythestatementattheG77plusChinasummitinCubaissoimportant,becauseitshowsthattheG77plusChina,whichrepresentsover80%oftheworldpopulation.Thisiswhythestatementatthesummitissocrucial.Itdemonstratesthatthe80%oftheworld'spopulationopposestheseillegalunilateralsanctionsimposedbytheWesternpowers.Thisstatementalsounderscoresthesignificanceoftechnologicaltransferandtechnologicalmonopolies,whicharecloselyrelatedissues.
Thesanctionsisintricatelyconnectedtotechnologicalmonopoliesbecausesanctionsareutilizednotonlytofurtherforeignpolicyinterestsbutalsotoadvancetheeconomicinterestsofthesefirmsthatareaversetoforeigncompetition.
Finally,thematteroftechnologytransferishighlysignificantbecausemanycountriesintheGlobalSouthaspiretoindustrializeandgrowtheireconomies.Theydonotwanttobesolelydependentonexportingrawmaterialsandlow-value-addedcommoditiestotheadvanced,affluentimperialistcountriesthatweretheirformercolonizers.Toachievethis,manyoftheseformerlycolonizedcountriesintheGlobalSouthneedaccesstotechnologytoestablishnewindustries.
Butbecauseofsanctions,andduetopatentsandintellectualpropertylaws,theU.S.hasoftenpreventedcountriesintheGlobalSouthfromhavingaccesstotechnologytransfer.ThisissomethingthatChinarecognizedtheimportanceof.ManycountriescouldlearnfromChina’seconomicmodel.WhenChina,underDengXiaoping,embarkedontheprocessofopeningupandimplementingreforms,Chinaalsounderstoodthatnotallformsofforeigndirectinvestmentarenecessarilybeneficial.Notallformsofinvestmentleadtoproductive,sustainablegrowthintheeconomyandthecreationofjobsforpeople.Chinaunderstoodtheimportanceofrequiringtechnologytransferfromforeignfirmsthatinvestinthecountry.So,ifforeignfirmsweregoingtoinvest,theyshouldalsosharesomeofthetechnologythey’rehelpingtoproduce.Furthermore,Chinarecognizedthesignificanceofformingjointpartnershipswithlocalfirms.Thisway,Chinacoulddevelopitsownnascentindustriesandnotsolelyrelyonforeigncompanies.
TheUnitedStatesandtheEuropeanpowersdonotwantcountriesintheGlobalSouthtofostertheirownindustriesandbecomecompetitorsbecausethentheywouldchallengethemonopoliesheldbySiliconValley.
CapitalNews:We'vegotsomenewmembersjoiningtheBRICSclubthisyear,likeSaudiArabia,Egypt,UAE,Argentina,Iran,andEthiopia.Also,thankstoChina'spush,theAfricanUnionhoppedonboardwiththeG20thisyear.Asweknow,theU.S.hasbeenthebigplayerininternationalaffairsforalongtime,isitlosinglong-heldposition?
BenjaminNorton:IthinktheroleoftheUnitedStateshasplayedontheinternationalstagehaslongbeenmisrepresented.TheU.S.constantlyclaimstobealeaderintheworld,ortheleaderoftheworld.Butinreality,ifwelookatinternationalinstitutionsliketheUnitedNations,itisfrequentlyWashingtonthatgoesagainstthewilloftheinternationalcommunity.
Agoodexampleofthisisthesanctions,theillegalU.S.embargoonCuba.EverysingleyearattheUnitedNationsGeneralAssemblyforthreedecades,almostallcountriesonEarthvoteagainsttheembargo.TheonlycountriesthatsupporttheembargoaretheU.S.andIsrael.Everyyear,attheUnitedNations,wecanseethatWashington’sclaimtobealeaderontheinternationalstagetodefendinternationallawispreposterous.Infact,ifwealsolookattheUnitedNationsSecurityCouncil,theU.S.constantlyusesitsvetotogoagainstthewillofothermembersoftheSecurityCouncil.TheU.S.isconstantlyviolatinginternationallaw.Thisisnotacountrythatisactuallytrulycommittedtointernationallaw,whichiswhyweseeincreasingly,politiciansinWashingtonandalsoBrusselsaretryingtorewriteinternationallawwiththeideaoftheso-calledrules-basedinternationalorder.
Now,thisisaveryvagueconcept,andtheyneverdefineitclearlybecausewhatthey’rereallysayingiswemaketherules.Internationallawissomethingthat’swritteninstone,andtheU.S.can’tchangethat,butitcancreatevaguerulesinarules-basedorder.
Formanydecades,countriesintheGlobalSouthhavebeendissatisfiedwiththeUnitedStates,buttheydidn’thaveeconomicalternatives.TheU.S.wastheworld’slargesteconomy.Ithadamassivemarket,andmanycountriesintheGlobalSouth,especiallythosewithanexport-orienteddevelopmentmodel,neededaccesstotheU.S.market.TheywereapprehensiveaboutU.S.sanctions.TheywerefearfulofthethreatofU.S.invasionormilitaryintervention,aswewitnessedinIraq,Libya,Afghanistan,andSyria.
ButnowthesituationhasfundamentallychangedwiththesignificanteconomicdevelopmentofChina,andtherelativeeconomicstabilizationofRussiacomparedtothesituationinthe90s,wheretherewasaneconomiccollapseduetotheshocktherapy.Whatweobserveistheemergenceofalternatives.CountriesnolongerhavetobeentirelydependentontheUnitedStates.AndthatgrantsthemmorepoliticalspacetocriticizetheUnitedStatesandasserttheirexpectationstoestablishnewinstitutionsthatrepresenttheirinterests.
IfweexaminethestatementfromtheG77+ChinasummitinCuba,itunderscoredthattheexistinginternationalfinancialinstitutions,suchastheInternationalMonetaryFundandtheWorldBank,areunequalandunjust.Theyadvocateforanewinternationaleconomicorder.Now,thattermissignificant.Thecallforanewinternationaleconomicorderwasinitiallymadeover50yearsagobymanycountriesintheGlobalSouth,butthatcallwasdisregardedbecausethereweresofeweconomicalternatives.
Now,whatwearewitnessingisthatChinaistheworld’slargesteconomyintermsofpurchasingpowerparity.UsingnominalfiguresinU.S.dollarscansometimesobscuremorethanitclarifies.Chinais,bythismeasure,theworld’slargesteconomy.WealsowitnesstheascentofVietnamandIndonesia,andthedevelopmentofBrazil.Thesearenewcountriesandeconomicblocsthatprovidealternativesfordevelopmentandalsoserveastradepartners.
Now,thisexplainswhyweseetheemergenceofnewinstitutionslikeBRICS.InLatinAmerica,theU.S.-controlledOrganizationofAmericanStatesisgoingthroughgradualdecline,whichisbasedinWashingtonandcontrolledbyWashington.Instead,we’rewitnessingtheemergenceofCELAC,theCommunityofLatinAmericanandCaribbeanStates.InSoutheastAsia,wehaveASEAN,andinEurasia,wehavetheShanghaiCooperationOrganization.Allofthesereflectanincreasinglymultipolarworld,whichprovidesnewopportunitiesforcountriesthatwerehistoricallycolonizedbyWesternpowers.
AftergainingformalindependencefromEuropeancolonialism,manyoftheseeconomieswerestillreliantonWesterneconomies.Butnow,whenweconsidertheBRICScountriescollectively,theireconomiesarelargerthantheG7economies.AsapercentageofworldGDP,theG7economiesaredecliningwhereastheBRICSeconomiesaregrowing.Thisexplainsthedirectioninwhichtheworldismovingeconomically.Now,manycountriesintheGlobalSouthfeelthattheycanfinallyhaveavoiceontheinternationalstageandcriticizetheseWesternpoliciesthatthey’vealwaysopposed.
CapitalNews:WhycanBRICSandG20expandtheirmembership,whileG7findsittoughtodoso？
BenjaminNorton:WeshouldkeepinmindthattheG7wascreatedinresponsetotheG77.TheG77wasformedbyformerlycolonizedcountriesasawaytounifypoliticallyandeconomicallytoadvancetheirsharedinterests.ThesearecountriesthatwerecolonizedbytheG7nations.So,theG7essentiallyrepresentsthecartelofthecolonialpowers—theUnitedStates,Europeancolonialpowers,Canada(whichwasaBritishcolony),andJapan(whichcolonizedmanypartsofEastAsia).
Ontheotherhand,theG77hascontinuedtogrowovertime.Now,thereare134membersrepresentingmorethan80%oftheworld'spopulation.Throughouthistory,there'sonlybeenoneinstanceoftheG7addinganewmember,anditwasRussiaaftertheSovietUnionwasoverthrown.Russia’sgovernmentwasessentiallycontrolledbyU.S.neo-liberaleconomists,whoweresenttoMoscowtoimposeshocktherapy.AccordingtoUNICEF,thisresultedin3millionexcessdeathsinRussia,aneconomiccollapse,millionsofpeoplefallingintopoverty,withtheirlivingstandardsandlifesavingsdestroyed,aswellaspublichealthcrises.So,inthe1990s,Russiawasinastateofcollapse,andtheUnitedStateslargelybearsresponsibilityforoverseeingthiscollapse.
Lateron,Russiaimplementedmorenationalisteconomicpolicies,assertingmorestatecontroloverelementsoftheeconomywhichhadbeencompletelyprivatized,andembarkedonapathofeconomicgrowth.TheUnitedStatesthenattemptedtorecruitRussiaintothiswestern-exclusiveclubwhileitwasstillunderBorisYeltsin.RussiawasinvitedtojoinanditbecametheG8.
However,withthewesternsanctionsonRussiain2014afterthecrisisinUkraine,RussiawasexpelledfromtheG8anditgetsbacktoG7.ThisisinresponsetotheUkrainecrisis,whichwastriggeredbyacoupthatoverthrewUkraine’sdemocraticallyelectedpresident,whowasgeopoliticallyneutral,ViktorYanukovych.Apro-westerngovernmentwasinstalled,pledgingtojoinNATO.ThissetoffacrisisaftertheU.S.-backedcoup.ThisisanexampleoftheG7representingtheinterestsofthewesterncolonialpowers.
Theycolonizedmuchoftheworld,andeventoday,theybelievetheyshouldcontroltheworld,astherenevertrulywasaprocessofdecolonizationinthesecountries.Intheformercolonialpowers,theeconomicsystemremainsthesameasitwasinthecolonialera.That'swhytheycontinuetoupholdtheseNeo-colonialpolicies.TheG77nowrepresentstheinterestsofmorethan80%oftheworldpopulation.ItisnotanexaggerationtosaythattheG77advocatesfortheinterestsofthemajorityofhumanity,whereastheG7representstheinterestsofthecolonialpowers.
CapitalNews:Iheardofanopinionssayingthat,theBRICSand“G77+China”,suchkindoforganization,itsgoalistomakecake.ButthemembersofG7,theirgoalistodividecake.Doyouagreewiththat?
BenjaminNorton:Absolutely,therealityisthattheG7countriesnowrepresentadecliningshareofworldGDP.It'scurrently29%ofglobalGDPmeasuredatpurchasingpowerparity,andthisfigureisshrinking.Meanwhile,theBRICSeconomiesconstituteroughlyathirdofglobalGDPmeasuredbythesamemetric,andthisfigureisontherise.
Whyisthisthecase?TheBRICSeconomiesarefundamentallycenteredonproduction,notonfinancialspeculation.Incontrast,theWesterneconomies,intheneoliberalera,havefinancializedanddeindustrialized,relyingoncountriesintheGlobalSouth,andtheirworkers,toproducethecommoditiesneededtofueltheireconomies.Thismodelisunsustainableandexploitative,asthelaborofworkersintheGlobalSouthissuper-exploitedforthebenefitofasmallhandfulofcountriesintheNorthernandWesternhemispheres.Thissystemisneithersustainablenorfair,andit'swhythemajorityofhumanityhasbeencallingforanewinternationaleconomicorder.
Lookingforward,thequestionarises:CanBRICSprovideaviableeconomicalternative?BRICShasdemonstratedthepotentialtocreatenewinstitutions,suchastheNewDevelopmentBank.However,theNDBisstillrelativelysmallandisintheprocessofexpandingitsloanportfoliotofinanceinfrastructureprojects.There'sstillampleroomforgrowth.
Additionally,theNDBneedstoworktowardde-dollarization,aprocessthatisunderway,albeitatagradualpace.ThenewpresidentoftheNDB,DilmaRousseff,formerpresidentofBrazil,haspledgedtoofferfinancinginthelocalcurrenciesofmembercountries,whichwillaccountforaboutathirdoftheirtotalloanportfoliointhenextfiveyears—asignificantstepforward.Nevertheless,manyarguethatthisprocessneedstoaccelerate,giventherisksassociatedwithholdingU.S.dollar-denominatedassets,asseenintheunilateralandillegalseizuresofforeignexchangereserves.
TheUnitedStateshasunilaterallyandillegallyseizedtheforeignexchangereservesofcentralbanksincountriessuchasRussia,Venezuela,Iran,andAfghanistan.Thissendsaclearmessagetocountriesworldwide:holdingU.S.dollarassetsmayincurexposureofeconomicpiracyandpotentialattacks.Forinstance,Russia'scentralbankhadover$300billioninassetsfrozen,essentiallystolenbytheUnitedStatesanditsEuropeancounterparts.Toaddresssuchissues,thereisapressingneedfornewinstitutions.
Tothisend,Chinahasestablisheditsownfinancialinstitutions,liketheAsianInfrastructureInvestmentBank,whichhavebeeninstrumental.Thesearevitalstepsforward.However,manycountriesintheGlobalSouthrequiremorefinancingandeconomicopportunities.There'sanongoingdebatewithinBRICSaboutthecreationofanewinternationalcurrency,andaworkinggroupofeconomistsisdiscussingplansforanewunitofaccountforinternationaltrade,investment,andforeignexchangereserves.Theseareallsignificantstrides,buttheyneedtobedevelopedswiftly.Politically,therearedifferenceswithinBRICS,andasitexpands,therewillbeadebateaboutitsfuturedirection.
ThemostcrucialtakeawayisthatBRICShasdemonstratedthatalternativesdoexist.IntheUK,theneoliberalleaderMargaretThatcherfamouslydeclared,'Thereisnoalternative.'BRICShasprovenotherwise.WiththesupportofChina,Russia,Brazil,andothers,countriesareforgingtheirownalternatives.Manycountriesareeagerformorealternativestoemergeasquicklyaspossible.