INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
TEHRAN - Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, a professor in global thought and comparative philosophies, says tech billionaire Elon Musk who openly backs
has again threatened to reclaim the Panama Canal and has not ruled out using military force or economic sanctions to pursue acquisition of
the Panama Canal and Greenland
calling the border between the two countries an "artificially drawn line." His remarks came just a few weeks after he called Canada the 51st
What sense does such a covetous eye on Canada send to the world, especially to American friends and allies especially as the Canadian FM
maximalist demand to coerce a net-positive outcome
It is largely taken from the business environment that Donald Trump and his regime is steeped in
applied to the complexity of world politics
The Trump presidency will hollow out any remaining residues of foreign policy competency from the civil service in the United States
Rather comparable to authoritarian systems where leading positions are allocated in accordance with allegiance to the regime in power,
rather than competence to do the job, Trump is staffing his cabinet with compliant yay-sayers
the current international system is anarchic in any case, as there is no organisation that could mitigate conflict
Trump exacerbates this trend, as war becomes an ever-more present prospect in the conduct of international affairs
Sovereignty is the first casualty within such a system
The best prophylaxis against becoming the prey of predators in such a system is to a) maximise the legitimacy of the state through
democratic accountability and respect for human rights to minimise the gap between state and society which would be exploited from the
outside and b) a robust international diplomacy to complement that domestic legitimacy of the state with an international strategy
Again: In an anarchic system where sovereignty is eroded by an overt form of imperial foreign policy, as Trump clearly stands for, the first
line of defense to ensure stability is legitimacy, engineered by implementing democratic acceptance of the government by the population and
international recognition as a stable, peaceful and accountable actor
There is no military solution to the dilemma of legitimacy
In fact, militarised, authoritarian policies are the biggest threat to national security
of governance from a national security approach to a human security emphasis
In a world where we are more connected than ever, peaceful diplomacy and more democracy is not a luxury, but a necessity for survival.Q:
least under Trump, is emerging as a bully in the world
Please give your own opinion
has been fractured along social, cultural and political lines for a long while, now
There is still a powerful elite consensus that keeps the idea together, and NATO is the main factor
However, the reality is that even in the United States and certainly in Europe, inevitable demographic changes also because of irreversible
immigration patterns, will alter the political and socio-economic landscape forever
This is why the resurgent right-wing in Europe, Trump himself and Elon Musk are bandwagoning, to ward off this movement towards increasing
social and multicultural hybridity
Trump and the European right-wing know this, which is why they want to fortify their privileges
But the push from below, from immensely resourceful civil societies are already recalibrating the political landscape
Trump may well be a transitory moment in this trend
The future of the United States will be co-determined by the current minorities as the Latino and African-American population is set to
constitute the majority in the country in a couple of decades and for the first time in history
When I speak to Chinese, South American or other intellectuals and strategists from the non-Western world, they are aware of such social
factors when they think about international politics
threat that "all hell will break out in the Middle East" if Hamas does not release hostages by the time he takes office
fathomed by the Palestinians, while it must be showcased as a historical crime by any concerned individual in the world
In essence, this battle to showcase the crimes committed in Palestine will determine the future of international law and human rights all
If it is accepted that the Benjamin Netanyahu administration plunges the whole international system into a sick denial of the crimes
committed on a daily basis, we are all doomed, as our own human security will be a target
So the battle goes far beyond the issue of Trump
Palestine today is a battleground that will constitute the future of human rights and international law
I should say that I am in no doubt that History will judge Netanyahu and the Israeli state with the full force of scholarly rigour
As for the proclamation of Trump: It is that zero-sum negotiating tactic that I mentioned, which does not leave much room for diplomacy or
Please give your own opinion as a philosopher.Musk and Trump are where they are because of money and not because of their competence in
The latter book has several sections on Muskism, the ideological tenets driving Elon Musk
One of the central arguments that I make in these studies is that Musk is driven by an ideological framework reflecting a combination of
hyper-capitalism, right-wing political leanings, and techno-imperialism
His focus on profit maximization often aligns with controversial stances, such as his support for extremist figures
of promoting "free speech," facilitating extremism and misinformation
Muskism, thus, reflects an ethos that reinforces power hierarchies, promotes technological determinism, and neglects the complexities of
social justice and cultural empathy
Politically, Muskism stands in opposition to agendas of social equity, inclusion and multiculturalism
In addition, Muskism displays an insidious suspicion towards the Humanities and Social Sciences
As such, it can be treated as an ideological system that is essentially anti-cultural and incredibly uneducated on social and political
After all, both Musk and Trump are where they are because of money and not because of their competence in terms of politics
Their claim to power has been possible because US democracy has been increasingly superseded and undermined by a particularly extremist form
