Democracy Matters: Winning The Fight Against Imperialism (2015) - Plot & Excerpts
*I had to shorten this review.The book is about the importance of Democracy, threats to Democracy, both in America and around the world interlaced with historical background and shared experiences. West declares that there are three nihilisms at work in American Democracy that need to be overcome: Evangelical nihilism, paternalistic nihilism, and sentimental nihilism.These nihilisms lead to Imperialism as was the result in Iraq and Free-Market Fundamentalism, which is our Achilles heal parading as our crown jewel. "These three nihilistic threats connect the spiritual with the social, the personal to the political, and the economic to the existential."The way to counter these nihilisms is to combine Socratic questioning/examination with Prophetic witness/drive/vision and a Tragicomic dark hope that seeks the "democratic" inspiration of Blues and Jazz. According to West this is the methodology and democratic forces that are vital to democracy matters at home and across the world.What is problematic to me is his chapter "Forging New Jewish and Islamic Democratic Identities." In this chapter he calls for Jews and Muslims to be critical (nothing wrong with that) and to take on his methodology of Socratic questioning to form democratic identities(problematic). In particular he advocates the works of Mahmoud Taha and his "Second Message of Islam" which according to some does away with the Medinan period of Islam and focuses exclusively on the Meccan period. An overly liberal and in the end anti-intellectual and inaffective solution/contribution to reform of Muslim societies and renewal of Islam. It is careless of West to promote Taha who doesn't have a large audience in the Muslim world, though certainly all voices should be heard and fairly treated and his murder by the State of Sudan was unjust.On the Palestine issue he hardly covers the deep questions, hypocrisy and nihilisms of Israeli society; its demolition of Palestinian rights, its self proclaimed commitment to a Jewish state (a justification for genocide and violence towards Palestinians), the land grabs and violence of Israeli settler's, Zionism, etc. Though he calls on both sides to be critical and terms the actions of Israelis "inhumane" his analysis falls far short of a fair and balanced critique.He puts the oppressor on par with the oppressed when the monoply on power and violence is in the hands of Israel; and the victimized Palestinians who lash out in unjustifiable suicide bombing are labeled "barbaric." There is no doubt that when Palestinians target civilians and those not responsible for the violence they harm the resistance, contradict Islam, and act criminally but the fact that this action is not justifiable does not mean that it is not understandable as it occurs out of a deep dissatisfaction with occupation and daily state terror, something he also fails to mention when asking Israelis to be critical. He begins from the premise that Israel is a legitimate state that came into existence as similar liberation and independence movements across the world. He omits that the State of Israel itself is a colonialist state, and this tragic history is the greatest impediment to a peaceful and equitable solution to the conflict. His non-recognition of this fact contradicts his principles and reeks of the same nihilisms he is fighting against. He goes on to state that the greatest Democratic possiblities may come out from the Palestinians and the Kurds. This is an interesting statement especially since in quite free and fair elections after this book was written the Palestinians overwhelmingly elected Hamas into government. West was quite critical of Islamic revivalists movements which he equates with clerical authoritarianism and fundamentalism, but what would he think about this democratic outcome in Palestine, does he believe it is a manifestation of the strong democratic possibilities of Palestinian society, or another manifestation of nihilism and if so how is he any different then George Bush and those Evangelical nihilists who parroted democracy and freedom only to destroy the democratic aspirations once a group they disliked came into power. Also on the issue of the Kurds I believe West has glossed over the fact that one group, the PKK and affiliated groups run Northern Iraq and are themselves quite autocratic and authoritarian when it comes to parties who challenge their power.His other contention is that so called Islamic revivalists movements are in power in the Muslim world when nothing can be further from the truth, he states, "the Islamic revival mobilized the masses and gained state power." Aside from Iran which is quite a problematic and unique case in itself (being Shia') every Islamic revival movement from Algeria, Morroco, Lybia, Egypt, Syria, Sudan, until recently Iraq, Turkey, Bangladesh has not only felt the brunt of state repression but also state violence and subjugation. They have been the reciepients of some of the most gross violations of human rights that such a statement by West is unconcievable. He goes on to state: "It is the legalistic conception of Islam that often authorizes an antidemocratic rule of Muslim jurists. This version of Islam is dominant in the world today...the present form of clerical Islam is an authoritarian effort to secure an Islamic identity and to run modern nation-states given the collapse of secular nationalism...like rabbinical Judaism or Catholic Christianity, clerical Islam is in no way the essence of Islam...therefore, the present task is to undermine the authority of the Muslim clerics on Islamic and democratic grounds."The conception of Islamic "clerical" authority being on par with rabbinical Judaism and Catholic Christianity is nothing but a crude comparison. The fact is the uniqueness of Islam, sometimes to a fault but generally for the better, is that there is no Pope or hierarchy of established clerical authority; at least in the dominant Sunni tradition. There is also hardly any rule of Muslim jurists in the political realm outside of the Iranian theocracy (which is singular in Islamic history), as the State has gone to enormous lengths to subjugate, co-opt and undermine Muslim Jurists at every turn. The point of undermining clerics is crass and is exactly the same thing that Osama Bin Laden and other extremists have done and leads to nothing but anarchy and superficial understanding of Islam. The fact is and this may be counter intuitive but the Islamic revivalists movements and their associated scholars, Callers, intellectuals, laymen, and workers have been the foremost cultural force for transformative change that reconciles Islam with the current historical context and situation. The eternal modernizing force and tool at the disposal of qualified scholars is ijtihad, or independent reasoning and is being used precociously, being combined with tajdid or renewal of the Faith. A good starting point to read about the conversation between Democracy and Islam is the book by Yusuf Qaradawi, "The Priorities of the Islamic Movement in the Coming Phase."In the spirit of Socratic questioning we must ask, "what is an authentic and truly prophetic model, organic to the historical paradigm of Muslim nations?" "Why should Muslims take on models and concepts from the West and show greater confidence in them than the West which has revealed a deep distrust and lack of confidence as highlighted by many of its own scholars and intellectuals" and "since the historical trajectory of the Islamic civilization is different in many ways to that of the West and its relationship with religion don't calls from Westerners for democratization lack historical knowledge and reek of paternalism." To his credit West does say that "Western style democracy has no future in the Islamic world."I think the most salient point in the book and where he is his finest is when talking about our problems at home. Our need to be self critical of the abuse of power, the nihilisms that it leads to, the destructive Empire that succumbs to Imperialisms and the proper way in which to engage our strong historical democratic tradition and forces against the dark side of American Empire. This requires paidea, or the cultivation of critical and active citizenry, something in my opinion that not only non Muslims but also Muslims here and abroad can gain from. America can be a force for good if it checks it's hubris, fights imperialism, and most importantly re-invigorates those forces that oppose expansionism, free-market fundamentalism, and oppression at home.
In recent years, the distinguished Dr. Cornel West has attracted not a small amount of controversy over his message vs. his lifestyle. He has been attacked from both the far right and the far left for preaching his message of equality while sitting amongst the towers of the Ivy League. It certainly doesn’t help his case that he is a much desired speaker and has managed to make quite a good living for himself. I can understand the viewpoints of my fellow leftists who frown upon this, but I don’t believe that the message of Dr. West is worth discarding simply because he has done well financially.It is only relatively recently that I myself have seriously read the work of Dr. West. It started 3 years ago when I first made my way through the dense prose of The Cornel West Reader which included his philosophical musings on the Marxist tradition alongside American Pragmatism and some of his more academic writings. It was certainly a stimulating read, and, for an Ivy League professor, somewhat of a radical worldview.In the past month, I have read the two most popular books of Dr. West, Race Matters and Democracy Matters. Reading these two back to back was particularly rewarding as West himself considers Democracy Matters to be a sequel to Race Matters. They are both eloquent and articulate as one might expect from such a great orator. However, they are accessible to a wide audience.It saddens me that in America whenever a strong African voice speaks out against injustice it’s ironically called racism. And it angers me that these charges come from WASP’s and other white elements of society. West addresses some of the common charges thrown against African Americans in Race Matters. These include high crime rates in African American communities, welfare queens, high unemployment, etc… West hits hard by saying “Conservative behaviorists talk about values and attitudes as if political and economic structures hardly exist.”At the same time, a common theme in both Race Matters and Democracy Matters is nihilism. “Any disease of the soul is conquered by a turning of one’s soul. This turning is done through one’s own affirmation of one’s worth.” West makes an emphasis in both books of the nihilism of the Western world, and primarily among the poorer and minority classes by “This market way of life promoting addictions to stimulation and obsessions with comfort and convenience”.In listening to or reading Dr. West you will find yourself coming across his description of arriving from a blues tradition. This partly involves West’s embracing of the pain of his ancestors and the color line that is still so clearly defined in present day America. West encourages us to NOT look at a color blind world. That would be a mistake that discards the unique and sometimes painful traditions from which we have arrived. Instead, he exhorts us to EMBRACE the rich cultures of the different ethnicities, religions, cultures and countries that make up our world. It is only through appreciating the equality yet uniqueness of the other that we can develop the proper respect and love for humanity.“The fight for democracy has ever been one against the oppressive and racist corruptions of empire.” As a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, Dr. West would subscribe to the belief that the very nature of Capitalism leads to racism. The idea of competition, of survival of the fittest, of being the better man naturally incorporates nihilistic elements of race and class.At the same time, West also has a deep hope for America. Democracy Matters acknowledges the democratic traditions that are underneath the surface. The book was quite prophetic in this sense by the reaction we saw to the election of Obama. FINALLY, the people felt that they were really making a difference in their society. Unfortunately, as the Obama presidency has had some time, this “hope” has been misplaced. It is now clearer than ever that our SYSTEM is broken, although one of my criticisms of Dr. West is that he publicly voices a little too much confidence in our current President. As a Socialist, Dr. West should realize that it will require much more than a new face in the White House to change the rule of the plutocrats in America.I particularly enjoyed the chapter on Christianity from Democracy Matters in which Dr. West broke down modern day American Christianity into two main strains: That of the Prophetic Christians vs. the Constantinian or Imperialistic Christians. One of the main identifying factors between the two is separation of church and state. The Prophetic is more likely to hold the government accountable for its actions whereas the Constantinian has BECOME part of the government. This is evident in the view of the right-wing evangelicals that the wars of America are “holy” in the sense that we are spreading Christianity and democracy to a heretical part of the world. This is hubris in its purest form, and is blindness from the nihilism of American politics in the sense that the Constantinians are playing right into the imperialistic government agenda. This can also be seen by the undying Zionistic support of the Constantinians which spreads the illusion of divine blessing on the actions of America’s client state Israel.Prophetic Christianity is the blues tradition of which Dr. West speaks. It calls out injustice. It speaks truth to power. It follows in the great traditions of the Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and ultimately Jesus who condemned authority for being drunk with power. It challenges America to follow the all-embracing love of Christ which looks at the poor not as “unintended consequences” of American domestic policy, but as equal humans to be loved, respected, and if necessary, cared for by our government. It preaches equality in health care, employment and civil rights. It calls for a respectful attitude towards the sovereignty of other nations and the immigrant looking to come to OUR nation. It is the true spirit of Socialism that is inherent in the very message of Christ. This is the common strain of love that all of the world’s great ideologies strive to achieve.West is on a mission of hope. His belief that the restoration of democracy is critical to the future of America can only be accomplished by a more level playing field. Plutocracy and oligarchy control our country. We as the PEOPLE must take our country back. We can do so through the Prophetic tradition of which Dr. West speaks by educating and waking up our fellow citizens from the nihilism that currently controls our Race and Democracy Matters. As Dr. West says “We must all strive for justice. And justice is what love looks like in public.”
What do You think about Democracy Matters: Winning The Fight Against Imperialism (2015)?
This book is a mixed bag; the first 64 pages are nice—not grand, not exciting, just mildly interesting. Since the book is 218 pages long, that’s kind of a problem; giving over so much space to what is essentially groundwork seems like an error in composition.But then—the cylinders start pumping and West sets off on a far-ranging exploration of what he calls the Melvillian and Emersonian themes in American Democracy, and from there on the book sings. West pulls from the blues and literature and about everywhere else to illustrate the need for a vital, questioning, bloodied-but-optimistic democratic attitude. It’s marvelous up until the end (with the exception of the chapter on reaching youth, which starts out well enough with a discussion of hip hop, but soon becomes a way to retell West’s famous decision to leave Harvard).The weaknesses of this book are apparent: it is wide-ranging and deep, but not consistently deep; one could wish West spent more times plumbing the interesting depths of hip hop and less recounting his own moral victory over Larry Summers. The book is slow starting, taking up a good portion of its length setting the stage for the fireworks that occupy the middle three chapters (these three chapters, incidentally, are the best in the book, covering as they do democracy in America, the Middle East crisis, and the crisis of American Christianity). The chapter on youth starts out reasonably and then vanishes into smoke.And for all that, I’m immensely impressed. West is a dynamic speaker on the public stage, and that dynamism translates well to his writing. Each of the middle three chapters could be a book in itself, and West’s handling of the issues is sensitive and sophisticated. So, yes, this book is a mixed bag, but it's still fantastic.
—Nathanael Booth
Cornel West went beyond the the typical leftist damnation of our corrupt political system in this book. Instead of harping only on what we as a people and a nation have done wrong over the centuries, he also applauds the history of the American spirit and what hopeful people can accomplish in a lifetime. Some of the passages he cites are truly inspiring and are as relevant today as when they were originally written. There were times when he was a little preachy, and the overtly religious tone he adopts throughout the book is a little obnoxious, but his intentions and execution were largely sound.I'd recommend this book to anyone who feels hopeless in the fight against corporate imperialism and globalization.
—Tegan
"Can any empire resist the temptation to become drunk with the wine of world power or become intoxicated with the hubris and greed of imperial possibilities? Has not every major empire pursued quixotic dreams of global domination- of shaping the world in its image and for its interest- that resulted in internal decay and doom? Can we committed democrats avert this world-historical pattern and possible fate?" classic. Soooo I definitely have a stylistic and emotional appreciation to reading his insights on democracy. He poses huge questions and investigates the historical dynamics therein, the violent foundation at the root as well as the state of contemporary imperialism. towards greater democratic possibilities. He discusses the words of democratic artists and intellectuals and devotes a lot of the book on how to draw on various faiths and black cultural traditions to "revitalize our democratic fires." I like his encouragement towards engaging in "prophetic witness" to illuminate the effects of racism and imperialism in the face of indifference and nihilism. The three nihilisms- evangelical nihilism, paternalistic nihilism, and sentimental nihilism. I loved the chapter on the deep democratic tradition in America- quoting and interpreting James Baldwin, Toni Morrison("she is the towering democratic artist and intellectual of our time"), Herman Melville (much of his work and moby dick on evils of empire and whiteness), Emerson . He discusses youth and hip hop culture and put out a rap cd. He also later in the book discusses several exchanges with the president of Harvard that led up to his resignation at Harvard. I liked his account of how he handled the conflict i.e. "In my response I looked him straight in the eyes and asked him what kind of person he took me to be."
—Klelly
