Slavoj Žižek talks about Iraq

Slavoj Žižek talks on the national TV about the world after the Iraq invasion (in slovenian)Uh..It starts with a discussion on US-Europe relations (in time of celebrating the Normandy invasion anniversary) - where dr. Žižek states that the attitude of Europe towards US is in his terms 'appropriate: ambivalent, as is ambivalent America itself'. He further warns we shall not forget that in WWII the nazis were defeated by an alliance between democratic capitalist forces AND communism. The future of the civilization was therefore decided (also) by Stalin troops in russian steppes. Discussing EU-US relations historically is therefore not appropriate without mentioning the Soviet Union (perhaps he wanted to make clear he does not want to continue in a hegemonic capitalist discourse?).The rest goes in Q&A style but note the ad-hoc distilled translation could miss the point:Q: After 60 years things are quite different - could you comment on the anti-american attitude spreading over Europe - or should we rather call it anti-bushism? Is anti-bushism only a long-suppressed and inert hatred towards US?A:Žižek answers it is innapropriate to formulate this conflict in geografic terms, as the only conflict is between two global political visions with no connections whatsoever with national identities. As an example, most of the americans are now opposing the invasion of Iraq. Q:Which are these two political visions?A:After the end of the cold war the new world order is not yet established and we now live a 'most dangerous moment', not even being sure what we are searching for. A sympomatic example is EU. As Žižek says, the freudian enigma 'Was will das Weib?' could be translated as 'What does Europe want?' 'Should EU be some kind of christian spiritual community or a union with a common ideal of a social state and quality of life, or just another economic force as a counterweight for US and the rising eastern economies? The cards have not been dealt yet.'Q:Are we witnessing a confrontation in the US between ultraconservatives and liberals?A:Žižek answers by explaining his viewpoint of the recent brutal tortures in Abu Ghraib: he spent quite some time in US, and as he says he found these images 'quite familiar', since one could come across similarly violent imagery regularly in the US media, depicting e.g. the initiation rituals in fraternities or in the marines. 'If you want to be accepted as part of the (US) society you have to pass a humiliating ritual - the paradox being that it is not true what Bush exclaimed 'these images do not represent America' but rather the opposite - they depict precisely the introduction of Iraqis people to the (dark side of the) american culture.'Q: US now slowly turns back towards the UN institutional practices. How do you foresee the end of the Iraq crisis?A: US has to make its interventions in middle east somehow legitimate by applying a democratic logic to its actions, as democracy (the export of human rights etc.) is THE ideology of the moment. On the other side, it is clear that the US can not afford democracy on the Arabian Peninsula. 'Just imagine democracy in Saudi Arabia - as it happens in Iraq right now, the muslim parties would come to power', which would be unnaceptable for the US. EU was therefore right in warning the US that by getting rid of Saddam Husein with a total war, a grounds for the formation of a united fudamentalist islamic front will be made.Q: In light of tomorrow's G8 meeting, what is your opinion on the growing divide between the rich and the poor countries?A: All the excessive talk about how this divide is purely rhetoric and contributes to nothing but an even greater divide. 'It is the same situaton as when in socialism ... repetitive calls for a more democratic socialism produced less and less democracy'. Despite some success stories (e.g. Singapore, Malaysiya), one can not avoid the fact of a huge world explosion of poverty going on - 'today nearly 1 billion of people live in slums, as in favelas in South america or Lagos in Nigeria'. These people live not only in material poverty, but also outside of any political process - they are de facto excluded from society and as the american (here Žižek corrects himself: 'sorry, italian - symptomatic mistake') philosopher Giorgio Agamben said - they have the position of 'Homo Sacer'. So this as a basic fact, any empty humanistic rhetoric only enables the 'brutal capitalist logic to continue'. .. and yes, it is twice more lucid in slovenian language...

Channel: News & Politics
Uploaded: November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am
Author: ohdev

Length: 09:23
Rating: 4.43
Views: 40808

Tags: Iraq  Slavoj  zizek  žižek  

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