The Global Middle Class & Global Power Politics

Few observations tweeted on June 2, 2009 regarding a favorite topic of mine: the slow and necessary emergence of a global middle class. 

  1. An empowered and well-informed Global Middle Class can help open up the decision-making processes within the power elites.
  1. An empowered well-informed Global Middle Class can help check conflicts of interests between power elites through the democratic processes.
  1. The continuing prevalence of violent conflicts today results in part from the unawareness of the Global Middle Class of its own existence. 
  1. Dark room conspiracies are not as relevant today as those unwitting ones resulting from group think and interest-alignments of the elites. 1 minute ago from web
  1. Conspiracies are often the product of interest-alignments resulting from group think, especially among socioeconomic and political elites. 5 minutes ago from web
  1. The complex relations between center and periphery today are unfolding increasingly along socioeconomic rather than purely geographic lines. 6 minutes ago from web
  1. The Global Middle Class needs to emulate the socioeconomic and political elites in how they advance their needs and protect their interests. 7 minutes ago from web
  1. Democratic electoral processes are not enough to ensure just governance. Just governance requires properly informed electorates.  8 minutes ago from web
  1. Socioeconomic and political elites work to advance their interests and meet their needs by exploiting their privileged positions. 8 minutes ago from web
  1. Unless it becomes aware of its existence as a real entity, the Global Middle Class can never lobby effectively for its needs. 19 minutes ago from web
  1. Unless it becomes aware of its existence as a real and legitimate entity, the Global Middle Class can never defend its interests. 21 minutes ago from web
  1. The Global Middle Class needs to develop its own institutions to sort out information and reach across the Democracy Gap to empower itself. 31 minutes ago from web
  1. The Global Middle Class is an entity that is not yet aware of its all too real existence and of its need to organize itself. 34 minutes ago from web
  1. The Democracy Gap and certain cultural differences further undermine the ability of the Global Middle Class to work together. 35 minutes ago from web
  1. The inability to properly wield information undermines the Global Middle Class’s ability to make informed decisions. 37 minutes ago from web
  1. The Global Middle Class is undermined by its disproportionate access to information and its inability to sort them out properly. 39 minutes ago from web
  1. In addition to their control over modes of production of information, the ruling elites also control institutions that sort out information. about 1 hour ago from web
  1. Political and socioeconomic elites have greater access to “useful” information as they disproportionately control its modes of production. about 1 hour ago from web
  1. Quantity of information is overwhelming quality and relevance, irrespective of differences in culture and systems of governance. about 1 hour ago from web
  1. Even in authoritarian societies access to information is no longer as problematic as the challenge of its overwhelming prevalence. about 1 hour ago from web
  1. The inability to sort out information undermines democracies just as authoritarianism undermines the stability of states where it flourishes about 1 hour ago from web
  1. The elites conspire against the rest and themselves, while the rest sink in information and misery. about 1 hour ago from web
  1. Political and socioeconomic elites around the world operate in small groups that often think alike. They conspire without need nor intent. about 2 hours ago from web
  1. Groups from similar socioeconomic backgrounds and/or political ranks tend to think alike, regardless of culture differences. about 2 hours ago from web
  1. The smaller the group the greater the susceptibility to group think. about 2 hours ago from web
  1. We’re often trapped within the perceived interests and thought patterns of the socioeconomic group with which we identify at a certain point about 2 hours ago from web
  1. The powerful political and socioeconomic elites around the world often “conspire” against the rest UNWITTINGLY as a result of GROUP THINK. about 2 hours ago from web
  1. Electors in democracies are overwhelmed with information. This complicates the decision-making process and eases manipulation by the elite. about 2 hours ago from web
  1. Modern conflicts are taking place between power elites that owe little or no allegiance to electoral bodies, hence the danger to democracy. about 6 hours ago from web
  1. Conflicts, peripheral and central, unfolding within the context of globalization, are rapidly becoming independent of traditional geography about 6 hours ago from web
  1. Conflicts between peripheral players could easily develop into an invasive cancer or herald the emergence of a new center. about 6 hours ago from web
  1. Conflicts between centers also play out in the periphery where they help minimize damage to central infrastructure, credibility and security about 6 hours ago from web
  1. Conflicts in the center play themselves out in the periphery where they help maintain the illusion of internal stability, civility, security about 6 hours ago from Twitterrific
  1. Conflicts on the periphery have a nasty habit of infecting the center. That’s why empires go through transitions and eventually fall. about 6 hours ago from Twitterrifi

Later Thoughts

  1. Conspiracies of converging interests reflect deep structural and socioeconomic realities and are, therefore, hard to “fix.” 2:40 PM Jun 23rd from Twitterrific
  2. A conspiracy of converging interests between elite circles operating independently is worse than any “traditional” darkroom conspiracy. 2:35 PM Jun 23rd from Twitterrific