International community as an act of deception?

International Community as God or Sorcerers Apprentice? (Part #4)

There is a logic to Chomsky's technical sense of international community being primarily associated with the USA. This could be understood as an extension of the Washington Consensus, the primary role of the USA in security and intelligence communities, as well as in TTIP-TPP-TISA. It is of course home to the HQ of the United Nations with which its priorities can be readily conflated.

There are also strange associations to God, dating notably from the doctrine of Manifest Destiny, described in terms of:

the special virtues of the American people and their institutions;
America's mission to redeem and remake the west in the image of agrarian America;
an irresistible destiny to accomplish this essential duty

Framed as "heaven" by many migrants and refugees (notably from Mexico), there is a cultivated sense in which the USA is held to be "closer to God" -- even to the point of being representative of the ultimate values of humanity as articulated in holy scripture. The continuing celebration of the Founding Fathers offers a sense of this, reminiscent of that associated with the Holy Father in Rome.

The State as God's Will: There is a long tradition associating the state with divinity, notably articulated and promoted as the political and religious doctrine of the divine right of kings. The modern successor to this can be seen in the arguments articulated in more secular terms by Georg Hegel as the State as God's Will, As summarized under that heading by Murray Rothbard (An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought, 1995):

Armed with such a philosophy and with such a philosopher, the modern state would take its divinely appointed stand at the height of history and civilization, as God on earth. Thus, The modern State, proving the reality of political community, when comprehended philosophically, could therefore be seen as the highest articulation of Spirit, or God in the contemporary world. The state, then, is a supreme manifestation of the activity of God in the world, and, the State stands above all; it is Spirit which knows itself as the universal essence and reality; and, The State is the reality of the kingdom of heaven. And finally, The State is God's Will.... According to Hegel, the final development of the man-God, the final breakthrough into totality and infinity, was at hand. The most highly developed state in the history of the world was now in place -- the existing Prussian monarchy under King Friedrich Wilhelm III.

Such views, and their implications with regard to the USA, have since been the subject of extensive criticism, notably by such as Karl Popper (The Open Society and Its Enemies, 1945) who argued that it was a thinly veiled justification for absolute rule by the state. Further, he argued, there is so much philosophical writing (especially in the Hegelian school) which may justly be criticized as meaningless verbiage (Conjectures and Refutations: the growth of scientific knowledge, 1963, p. 94).

This said, however, it could then be asked whether the positioning of the USA at the core of the international community, frames both the USA and the international community as an expression of the divine -- at least from the perspective of the many sympathetic to such a worldview. More intriguing, this offers the sense in which the community of states so configured effectively constitutes a new form of pantheon -- if only by implication, or as an "unstated" aspiration, curiously analogous to Islamic aspirations to a caliphate.

This suggests that the ongoing battle with the latter could then be framed anew as an archetypal "Battle of the Gods" as imagined in the Theomachy of Ancient Greece (and in some modern video games). Echoes of this are to be recognized in current political reference to the ongoing archetypal battle between "Good" and "Evil" -- a view ironically reciprocated by ISIL -- and the anticipation (by some) of a form of final Armageddon, as may be variously explored (Spontaneous Initiation of Armageddon: a heartfelt response to systemic negligence, 2004; Evil Rules: guidelines for engaging in Armageddon now, 2015). As with any such battle, neither side would of course question the adequacy of their particular comprehension of God's Will in any larger scheme of things.

Acts of God?: It is in this sense that any act of the USA can be speculatively explored as an Act of God, especially given the particular definition of this which is offered by the insurance community -- a "technical sense" of God (exploiting Chomsky's distinction). Clearly for many exposed to the action of drones and other forms of bombardment ("from the heavens"), the arbitrary nature of their experience is fruitfully framed as such an act -- Insha'Allah -- as in many religious traditions.

The extent to which the military initiatives of different faiths are formally blessed by military chaplains as doing the work of God, is exemplified by the case now widely reported with respect to Hiroshima and Nagasaki (George Zabelka, Blessing the Bombs, Plough, 4 August 2015; The Reluctant Prophet; Charles C. McCarthy, 'I Was Told It Was Necessary', Sojourners, August 1980; Chaplain To Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombing Crews Repents, Los Angeles Catholic Worker, 8 August 2015). Such benediction is of course also the case with respect to the suicide bombers by jihadists. Who might be expected to repent, decades hence, for current initiatives they were told were "necessary" by the international community? The situation of military chaplains is especially problematic where they have a formal responsibility to personnel charged with torture -- and presumably to their victims [the mind boggles !].

Given the arguments of just war theory, in legal terms any action by the international community might then be considered comparable with an Act of God, or consistent with its criteria. The quandries for the individual affected recall the insightful exploration (through comedy) of the possibility of a legal class action suit against his religious representatives (The Man Who Sued God, 2001). Any such degree of association of the international community with deity, articulated through religion, must necessarily also recall the phrase: religion as the opium of the people. Should "international community" be explored as such an opiate cultivated by the media -- as would be consistent with early arguments of Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman (Manufacturing Consent: the political economy of the mass media, 1988).

Strategic deception: If the actions of the international community are misleadingly framed as Acts of God, can the deception be further explored through the famous tale of Hans Christian Andersen (The Emperor's New Clothes, 1837)? With the USA increasingly framed in imperial terms, and the international community to be understood as a form of mantle (as noted above), how effectively is the Emperor "enrobed" by clients and allies coagulating around it. This could be explored from the perspective of that tale on clothing design and perception -- as commented separately (Appreciating the Emperor's new clothes -- as designed by NSA, 2013).

In a period explicitly framed from a US perspective as a global war on terror, just war theory may naturally be used to justify any form deception as a major strategic option, including false flag operations. The systematic pattern of deception revealed by the various electronic surveillance scandals, exemplified by the release of diplomatic cables by Wikileaks, frames the possibility that the existence of the international community, and its very nature, may itself be some form of deception.

This possibility is consistent with conspiracy theories to the effect that Al-Qaeda -- as the early focus for the war on terror -- may itself be a construct for strategic purposes (Pierre-Henri Bunel, Al Qaeda: The Database, Global Research, 4 September 2015), consistent with arguments regarding 9/11 (Adnan Zuberi and Lars Schall, 9/11 Truth and the Sound of Silence in Academia: "Critical Perspectives on 9/11 are Systematically Excluded from Universities." Global Research, 4 September 2015). Its very existence has been called into question (Brendan O'Neill, Does al-Qaeda exist? Not in the way that we think, say some terrorism experts, 28 November 2003; Adam Dolnik and Kimberly A McCloud, Debunk the myth of al-Qaeda, Christian Science Monitor, 23 May 2002).

Existence by fiat: In a period of quantitative easing, when the ultimate symbol of confidence is created as fiat money, there is great irony to the sense that both God and the international community may well be created by fiat -- as with the "values" to which reference is so assiduously made (in the notable absence of any "concrete proof").

The irony for those countries upheld as members of the international community -- in its technical sense -- is the response to revelations regarding the bugging of the phones of the leaders of allies of the US (NSA monitored calls of 35 world leaders after US official handed over contacts, The Guardian, 30 June 2013; New NSA leaks show how US is bugging its European allies, The Guardian, 30 June 2013).

Such deception is the new norm -- even acclaimed as acceptable amongst allies (Surveillance, Friends and Allies, Council for European Studies, 25 March 2015). Should the existence of the international community be considered otherwise, especially given the lack of transparency as to its composition and organization? Given the increasing dependence on quantitative easing, there is clearly a complementary tendency to "qualitative easing" (From Quantitative Easing (QE) to Moral Easing (ME): a stimulus package to avert moral bankruptcy? 2010). Should any greater sense of responsibility be expected of a Sorcerer's Apprentice caught red-handed? (Responsibility for Global Governance, 2008).

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International community as an act of deception?