Leadership and Government

. . . . . . Cygni (article)

Political Viruses

An example of a political virus is the process of "free trade" that has been implanted in the economic system of the world with much the same effect that a computer virus has. Indeed, the original idea of a "free trade" policy was intended to function exactly like a computer virus does today. During a carriage ride in 1763 between Edinburgh and London, Lord Shelburne, chairman of the "Secret Committee of the British East India Company, commissioned one of his employees, Adam Smith, to investigate and prepare an apologia for free trade. The first application of "free trade" as a type of virus occurred in 1782 when the free-trade policy was imbedded into the Treaty of Paris which formally ended the American Revolution and the war which the British Empire had unleashed to reclaim its break-away colonies.

Having lost the war on the battle field, Shelburne initiated an economic scheme that was designed for getting the colonies back, by rapidly bankrupting the new American nation so that it could be reabsorbed into the British imperial domain. Towards this goal, Shelburne himself took over the reins of government as Prime Minister for the brief period from 1782 to 1783. In this temporary capacity he stood before the house of lords on Jan. 27, 1783 and argued for the ratification of the Treaty of Paris.

Indeed, his scheme worked well. By 1787 the American nation was bankrupted. It was not until the bankruptcy crisis actually erupted that the "free trade" virus was discovered. It was discovered by Alexander Hamilton who was a key player in the Federalist debates of 1787. By these debates the virus was effectively removed from the political structure of the nation. As the virus was being removed, the famous American System of economy was born by which the nation became the richest and strongest nation on the planet and the envy of the world.

Free trade is a political policy that prohibits a nation from protecting itself against destructive trade practices. It prevents a nation from protecting its industries against unfair dumping, it prevents it from protecting its resources from depletion, and it prevents a nation from protecting its populations from becoming forced into slavery situations. The policy of free trade can be likened to a law that would prohibit anyone form locking the doors of their home before going to work, a law which would demand that a sign be placed on the front lawn that the content of the house is free for the taking. Would anyone consent to such a law? No, except the would be thieves! Ironically, this is exactly the kind of law that the nations are demanded to accept on an ever larger scale.

Free trade across the boundary between unequal wage cost economies means that the poor countries have no options to disallow its population from becoming enslaved into slave labor type industries that create products which are not designed to benefit and develop that nation, but which are dumped into high wage economies, creating unemployment there and a lot of profit for a few. This general pattern can be observed to varying degrees and in different forms wherever free-trade laws govern the economies. It can also be recognized that the most vocal and powerful advocates for free-trade are the thieves who profit from the differential between national economies and do everything in their power to assure that the differential becomes enlarged, rather than diminished. This is partly the reason why these powers are vehemently preventing the economic development of the world.

Protected trade is honorable trade. It is not a prohibition of trade, but a platform that allows the self-development of a nation without the ravishing of international theft. The forcing of a poorer nations' population into slave labor situations is a type of theft upon that nation which thereby becomes deprived of a valuable development resource. Protected trade is a type of trade that would enhance the realization of those people's potential that are now lost into to slave labor, export oriented economies. Within the context of protected trade both trading partners become enriched. Protected trade has always been the hallmark of a healthy world economy. This is the kind of policy that the U.S. President John F. Kennedy had fought for, with the goal to aid the industrialization of other nations for the realization of their national dreams. It was to a large extend for this goal that he became the target for an assassin's bullet.

The Antivirus program.

The obvious answer for eradicating the free-trade virus is found by exploring the fundamental principles that this virus attacks, in order that the value of these principles becomes recognized, and the principles become applied. In the case of free-trade, the principle that needs to be reexamined, is sovereignty. The novel, Silent War, by this author, is designed to do this, but not in the context of focusing on national sovereignty. Rather, it is done in the novel by focusing on the issue of sovereignty at the grass roots level of individual interrelationships, and this in a far-reaching and provocative context. Still, though the novel does not focus primarily on international relations, it explores the issue of enriching one another across the boundaries of the social domains, such as marriages, etc., where such types of borders exist.

The current outlook for purging the free-trade virus from the political landscape is bleak. The two main contenders for the year 2000 U.S. Presidential election are both committed to expanding the virus, rather than to purge it from the social fabric. Their goal is to extend the virus globally and thereby to enhance the ability of the world's oligarchs and their corporations to exploit humanity as they please, no matter what or who gets destroyed in the process, or to what low levels human civilization will sink. This means that humanity will have to carry the fight for its civilization, itself. This also means that the virus can only be defeated when the people of the nations reassert the principle of sovereignty in their own life, apply it to their nation, and extend it to the world as a whole.

The process of globalization without sovereignty creates a global prison from which no one can escape. Lyndon LaRouche's policy on free-trade, as the third contender for the U.S. Presidency, can be summed us with one word, a resounding, NO! His policy is the globalization of civilization through an elevated sense of humanity, the development of its potential for the general welfare of all. His policy is to free humanity from being abused as beasts of burden, serves, slaves, and worse, for the profit of a few. He points to the development coming out of the Golden renaissance which prove that humanity has a vastly greater potential than what is allowed to be realized within a feudal economy and its globalization via the free-trade virus.

For many years Lyndon LaRouche, has proposed the implementation of numerous large scale infrastructure programs as a means for enriching the world economy and the life of every person on earth. He has consistently pointed out that this badly needed development cannot be achieved within the theft riddled free trade process, and that humanity's very future will be determined by its ability to deal with this virus.

As for LaRouche's programs for a free-trade free world. The list is long. It includes the European Productive Triangle project that would have utilized the industrial capacity of central Europe as a locomotive for the development of the Eurasian continent and the world. This is no longer possible since this industrial capacity has since been destroyed or dismantled to make way for amusement parks.

Other development plans that were proposed by Lyndon LaRouche include a water and transportation infrastructure plan for the development of Africa, South America, India, even North America, and the Eurasian Land Bridge Development Project which would bring economic development to the far reaches of the Eurasian landscape where many people still exist in land locked isolation.

LaRouche's stand on the free-trade issue is by far the most sane, and the most profound, that this author has encountered so far. His campaign presents to the American people a real choice for a potentially great future, versus an enslavement that may never end. This choice, which effects the entire world, also makes the Y2K U.S. Presidential election a crucial issue for all nations on this planet, for the outcome will determine the future that we all share. This fact also makes the international support of LaRouche in his fight for election a crucial issue, because the outcome of his fight for humanity will effect the whole world and the shape the face of civilization.

Published by
Cygni Communications Ltd.
North Vancouver, B.C.
Canada