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Thursday, February 24, 2022

Solving the Chimpanzee Problem that led to the invasion of Ukraine




Humans are an amazingly clever species. In 2022 our knowledge of and mastery over the physical and biological systems that surround us is unparalleled, but the way we manage ourselves and our societies has not moved on much since we came down from the trees. We still organise ourselves pretty much in the same way as a group of chimpanzees, with an alpha male at the top who rules by brute force. Putin is just the latest example of this. The world can see the foolishness of his invasion, but it is very difficult to dislodge a dictator, as we have seen in the case of Saddam Hussain in Iraq, and dislodging them by force just leads to more problems.

The Ukraine crime will run its course. The Ukrainians, many of them, will fight the invaders. Putin may reduce large parts of Ukraine to rubble as a result. Some Ukrainians will not cooperate with the invaders, and try to make the country ungovernable. Other Ukrainians will collaborate with the invaders, and help Putin to rule. In the end Putin will die. He may be deposed. Ukraine will inevitably become free again, the only question is when, and after how much suffering.

Let us stand back from the Ukrainian question.  Let the media obsess about the appearances, about the current symptom, and let us look again at the basic problem - humanity’s chimpanzee troop heritage. Let us address address the cause of the disease. How can we cure our tendency to allow a few people to become obscenely rich and powerful to the extent that they become detached from the condition of non rich and non powerful people? Note that this is not just a matter for Russian "oligarchs". We in Britain have our own oligarchs, but we call them "billionaires". 

How can we create systems of government that are intelligent, that understand that the condition of humanity is 100% dependent on our life support systems,  health of our water, soil, air, weather and fellow humans?

How in other words can we redesign our political and economic systems so that they serve the long term interests of ordinary people, rather than the narrow short term interests of the elite, the super-rich, the oligarchs and billionaires?

There is no quick and simple answer to this question. It has many aspects. In Britain we need radical reform of our systems - electoral, Parliamentary and economic.  

But there is one modest solution that offers a long-term, continuous, global pressure towards good governance, and against the formation of dictatorships. It is called the Global Human Rights Index. It just requires the UN to publish yearly an assessment of the performance of all Governments in the field of human rights. It is Green Party policy  and the full plan can be found here : 

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:26 am

    Its not the political & economic system then, its because of toxic 'alpha males' at the top, not the arms trade, merchants, gun runners, the men and women that uphold heirarchy, and this system of ruling classes that creates weapons of war domination and oppression. Or our own submission to it.

    Did you forget Maggie and the falklands, maggie and the miners, or Maggie Queeny and their war against inner city youth and African decended working class communities, of course it wasnt just Maggie as it isnt just Putin or Boris it is the structure of this system that enables them and encourages them, and our compliance with it...

    I have no love for putin, but it would be a lie to deny politicians of western governments supported neo nazi militias during and after maidan (much like putin in his own lands targeting/murdering anti fascists). John McCain and Merkel & Nato, for example, helped arm fascist groups such as Assof Brigade, Sabovda and others, helping to kill off any genuine opposition to the previous Ukrainian administration, leading to (instead of the previous mafia state aligned to The Russian State) a state run by nationalist and fascist elements that want to join Nato,& now with a tv personality/actor preforming as President, not such a great move by western governments.

    Who started the invasion? International finance maybe? To get us all worked up for for world war 3. Shame it is always those of us without power caught in the middle as cannon fodder, that have to carry our dead home and deal with rhe aftermath. War was designed by power for us plebs and chavs to murder each other while politicians from all states envolved (and corporate business) are far from the frontlines of these finacially organised massacres of life.

    The UN is a bad joke if you think these world leaders will end war. They have failed many times.. They are part of the problem. Arms and economic dominace dictates. They are fakes in the hand of finance.

    As long as their are 1st and 2nd second class citizens of any nation everywhere is war, as someone once said. Only by our own actions, not depending politicians and their state system that creates war, will war and this global system of oppression end. If War is the health of the state, then resistance is the health of the people.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4XHEPoMNP0I

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  2. Anonymous9:36 am

    https://radicalglasgowblog.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-sabre.html?m=1

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