jmp wrote: > There are converging narratives suggesting that Western hegemony is > bound up with coal, gas and oil. The European economy only became bigger > than Asia's around 1800, some say, and is now smaller again, so the > Euro-American age seems to coincide with the offering of cheap coal, gas > and oil that is now vanishing slowly.
It's possible that the Euro-American age (involving Japan & Australia & New Zealand & Israel, too) could end due to rising true costs (prices + environmental costs + political costs) of petroleum. Or the "center" countries could switch to other sources of energy (nukes, clean energy, etc.) Alternatively, the Euro-American (etc.) age could end, passing the baton to China, India, & Brazil. But that's simply shifting the geographic nature of the current hegemonic powers. It doesn't end capitalism. It might be a pain to learn Chinese, but it won't change the fundamental nature of the system. Thirdly, it's possible instead that what's happening is the emergence of a global capitalist class, including those capitalists in "Euro-America" (Oceania?) _and_ China _and_ etc. This last seems most likely to me. -- Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante. _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
