By Dr. Sawraj Singh
There are three main centers of western capitalism in the world today. America is the undeclared leader of western capitalism. Europe is the birthplace and the historical leader of capitalism. India is a new convert and has the largest mass of population living under the western capitalist model of development. What is the commonality in the three major centers of western capitalism? I feel that all three societies seem to be headed towards chaos and anarchy. Is anarchy the terminal phase of capitalism?
I feel chaos and anarchy are the ultimate fate of capitalism. When profit becomes the leading factor for development instead of the needs of society, then it is inevitable that the end result is going to be complete anarchy. Instead of profit, we have to make the needs of society the guiding principle of growth and development of the society. This is the only way to prevent chaos and anarchy in the society. In a Globalized world, we have to extend the concept of society to include the whole world and all mankind. This concept of a Global community was realized in the east a long time ago. In the Rig Veda, “Vasudeva Katumbkum” means that the whole world is a community. This concept was taken to its climax in Sri Guru Granth Sahib in the form of Sarbat to include all of the creation.
America, being the leading country in the world, has the moral responsibility to try to maintain peace and harmony in the world. However, America seems to be doing exactly the opposite. Instead of becoming the champion of peace and harmony, it seems to be doing the utmost to spread chaos and anarchy in the world. The American role in this field started after the Second World War but reached its peak during the collapse of the Soviet Union. America could not understand the fact that the collapse of the Soviet Union will unleash the forces of chaos and anarchy all over the world. It failed to comprehend that the Soviet Union was primarily for maintaining order in the world because it helped to maintain the balance of power in the world. The imbalance and the instability seen in the world after the collapse of the Soviet Union are unparalleled in recent times.
In my book Crisis in Civilization: A Sikh Perspective, written in the nineties after the collapse of the Soviet Union, I brought out that the collapse of the Soviet Union is going to prove to be the biggest American mistake because it has sown the seeds of the demise of America as a Superpower of the world. In a strange way, the Soviet Union was helping America to maintain its Superpower status in the world. The fear of the Soviet Union was keeping many countries, primarily the western European countries, under the American umbrella. Once the fear of the Soviet Union is gone, these countries are unlikely to accept American domination and hegemony. As a result of this, different centers of power may emerge. Instead of a unipolar world which America had hoped that the collapse of the Soviet Union would bring, we may end up with a multipolar world. However, during this transition, the world may pass through unparalleled turmoil and instability.
There are many people in America who now seem to agree with my assertion that the collapse of the Soviet Union has done more harm to America than good. America and the Soviet Union were able to maintain better order and stability in their halves, rather than America has maintained in the whole world. Once the Soviet Union collapsed, the responsibility to maintain order and stability in the whole world fell on America’s shoulders. However, America has been unable to take on the additional burden. The result is that not only the rest of the world has become more chaotic and unstable, but the rise of the populist forces in America has made America itself very chaotic and unstable. The American society seems to be racing towards anarchy. The racial tensions are growing to a point that many American cities seem to be turning into war zones between the police and the minorities, particularly the blacks.
The refugee crisis in Europe has led to scenes of chaos and anarchy, never seen before. Just like America, capitalist greed seems to have pushed Europe into perpetual chaos and anarchy. For many European countries, immigrants are a source of unlimited work force which can be exploited. They seem to be completely ignoring the social consequences of this migration. Whereas the racial tension in America is the leading cause of social instability, the religious factor in Europe seems to be playing the major role. The tension between the Christian traditional Europe and the Islamic migrants seems to be the major factor in increasing instability in Europe. Just like America, there seems to be no end in sight for Europe’s problems.
The western capitalist model which India has adopted has resulted only in a second-rated capitalism. This can be called crude capitalism, which lacks elements like efficiency and social responsiveness. The Indian capitalists never felt obligated to feed their people. Now they cannot even provide water to many of them. They have widened the gap between the haves and have-nots to a point which probably qualifies them to receive an Olympic gold medal in this field. They have completely failed to check the growth in population. This uncontrolled population is not only negating the benefits of development, it is also a perfect recipe for plunging the country deeper into chaos and anarchy. It is ironical that a country which gave the concepts of order and harmony to the world is on the verge of almost complete breakdown of order unless some radical measures are taken for population control.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the western capitalist model is failing now. The inherent chaos and anarchy in this model of development is finally catching up. This model has outlived its usefulness, and without fundamental and radical changes, it will be unable to take the world forward. Instead of clinging to this outdated model, India should help to bring the changes which are necessary to prevent sinking deeper into the crisis of western capitalism. Instead of joining the western block, India should help form a bridge between the East and the West. The eastern concepts of maintaining order and harmony can help the world to come out of the chaos and anarchy. We need an alternative model of development based on the principles of universal concern and universal welfare. Instead of a model of development which is subservient to capital, we need a model which is pro-people and promotes harmony with nature. Sri Guru Granth Sahib has such an alternative model of development.
Dr. Sawraj Singh, MD F.I.C.S. is the Chairman of the Washington State Network for Human Rights and Chairman of the Central Washington Coalition for Social Justice. He can be reached at [email protected].
