South Asia Citizens Wire Dispatch #2. | 30 April 2002 http://www.mnet.fr __________________________ [29 april 2002] Le Pen bares a dirty secret By M. B. Naqvi Monsieur Jean-Marie le Pen, by winning over 17 per cent of national vote on April 21 in the first round and getting into the run-off with President M. Jacque Chirac on May 5 has shocked many. Most Europeans, especially on the Left, are dismayed by French Presidency being fought between a conservative and an ultra-conservative. No doubt, le Pen is certain to lose and Chirac will return to Elysee Palace comfortably. But the obvious lurch to the Right in an important European country, represented by the elimination of the entire French Left and the Centre, has distressed decent Europeans. The personality of le Pen, the leader of a French fascist party, is also a factor. He has built his reputation on an xenophobic (anti-immigrants and anti-Jewish) and racist ultra-nationalism. European Jews are alarmed. Immigrants from Northern Africa and Middle East, Arabs, Asians and black Africans and Jews, mostly in this order, are already feeling the heat of racist sentiment in many European countries. Le Pen, the neo-Nazi, is bracketed with Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini. That rakes up old memories of battles fought for Europe's soul between the then ultra-Right (Nazis and Fascists) and the whole spectrum from centre to ultra Left in the Intrerwar War period (1919-39). The Right won. The steady rise of ultra Right in France in recent decades --- by no means finally dominant yet --- is a wake up call to many on the Left, especially to all who follow Second, Third and Fourth International. Earlier the people had been lulled into believing that the defeat of Second Worldwar's Axis Powers also destroyed the roots of Nazism and Fascism, with the final discrediting of their ideas. New leaderships in the defeated nations seemed having been purged of Racism, ultra-Nationalism and Militarism; indeed their subsequent liberal or socialistic stances were convincing. The world thought that Fascist ideologies lie burried in the rubble of Second Great War. Events show that the conclusion was premature. Fascist movements in Europe arose from mass unemployment and poverty of the Interwar period. They were seen as an alternative to the radical iconoclasm of Russian Revolution, being Capitalism's own populist reply to Communism. Communism had totally rejected capitalism while Fascist movements relied on promoting strong, time-tested prejudices of local societies: race, language, culture, religion, traditions of martial achievements and pursuing national animosities, without touching capitalism. Chauvinistic about the chosen race or nation, they were xenophobic against the 'outgroup': Semetics, coloured people, Russians or the effete white imperialists which were one up on them, as Britain was vis-�-vis Germany. But these movements, despite strong invectives against capitalists, were basically conservative by not restricting the scope of private capital. And they were able to win over the masses through massive propaganda and militaristic organisations. Big Business rewarded them with ample funds for 'dragooning' or 'rape' of the masses by shrill propaganda of a bogus and reworked past greatness. Fascism sought the solution of the unemployment through militarisation and massive rearmament. That helped Big Business massively. Generic Fascism is the revenge of old myths, quasi-history and atavistic tribal prejudices and tendencies against liberal ideas of human rights, equality and fraternity of man that cuts across all old belief structures and institutions; it rejects all that has been achieved by Renaissance, Reformation and Enlightenment movements: rationalism and scientific outlook. As a social theory, Fascism firmly subordinates human individual to a non-material collectivity. It yokes a decaying social order and decrepit economy, to a moribund capitalism; both in Italy (1920s) and Germany (1930s), the dictators enjoyed untrammeled power for a while before the inevitable crash, to which this fundamentally anti-rational and anti-liberal force irresistibly leads. Western Fascism thrives on emigration from third world as a consequence of communications� revolution. That has revived the emaciated fringe of xenophobic European nationalisms. Tirades against coloured immigrants have promoted political careers in England, France, many European countries, not excluding Italy, Germany and Austria. That immigrants were vital to war-shattered economies� rebuilding is obscured by the colour of their skins: white hosts find the coloureds hard to accept, with rights equal to their own. The fact is racist feelings are actually widespread in Europe. It is an illusion that 1939-45 anti-Fascist war's havoc made simple nationalism and racial sentiment unpopular. The support base for nationalistic politics did not entirely disappear. Mr. Pen has reminded that the earlier impression were misleading. He has a point, even if the ultra-Right remains a minority. Since the supply of economic refugees and asylum seekers may remain steady, and the World Bank's poverty alleviation programmes not going beyond cosmetic, the likely basis for European Fascisms to flourish exists. At any rate, le Pen is by no means alone. Revived neo-Nazis are still fringes in Britain, Germany, Italy, Austria and of course France. In France, the le Pen challenge is still containable by what is the Postwar Consensus in Europe about democracy, capitalism and American leadership. But winds of change may soon become stronger, with variable direction. In Italy Mussolini's grand daughter having popularised her grand pa's ideas caused the Burlesconi phenomenon's rise. The latter is more than simple rightwing politics, with an umbilical connection to generic Fascists of yore. Italy's Left appears to be alarmed anyway and is gearing up for a fight reminiscent of early 1920s. Austria's Haider party is also a reminder that neo-Nazism may no longer remain a mere fringes. Ultra-Right fringes even in UK and Germany are not entirely harmless. So throughout most of Europe, colour of the skin and nationalistic ideas still matter. Happily many oppose Fascisms. A big fight thus impends. Fascism is not confined to Europe. It succeeds in underdeveloped countries more easily. If basic elements that comprise European Fascism are present in a poor country, it is Fascism. Who can deny that the Afghan Taliban were Fascists or, for that matter, the Gujarat pogroms can only be comprehended if their underlying ideology is understood: It is the inferior people being subordinated by a superior group, the Hindu Rashtra in this case. Since all Fascist ideologies are locally evolved, it takes many forms. But if their essentials are similar with Fascism's basic tenets, it is just that. It has to be fought. An inescapable case exists for a broad coalition of democrats and anti-Fascists --- i.e. humanists and forward-looking progressives --- the world over. Nearer home in South Asia, the situation is far more dangerous. The area is being swept with gale-force winds that multiply divisions and strife. This is not a recent phenomenon, however. English language started the mischief by familiarising Indians with ideas of liberty, nationalism, economic progress and exploitation of colonialism. While Muslims were held back by their clerics from learning the English tongue for a generation, the Hindus eagerly learnt it. That gave birth to a basically backward-looking Hindu Revivalism along with a secular Indian Nationalism that was mainly Hindu in prepossessions. Today's movement for Hindu Rashtra led by the Sangh Parivar is a misbegotten child of these. There is also its Muslim counterpart, originally pan-Islamism with the ideology of Ghalba-e-Islam --- albeit originally through moral persuasion. The interplay of these two revivalisms generated the political consciousness of being Hindu or Muslim. That was the age-old Hindu-Muslim Problem. It later caused the division of British Indian Empire and the subsequent feuding between India and Pakistan through emphasis on rival religious identities. The two are now nuclear powers and are still feuding, with three wars behind them. These religious identities are sustained by elaborate mythologies, masquerading as philosophies that define Fascist populism. South Asians had better ponder over some of these particulars and possibilities. o o o =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=- To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet ================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
