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Editorial
With this the third issue of Eclipse, we turn to more systematic considerations of imperialism as forming the character of the war in Afghanistan and beyond. There are many opposed to the prosecution of the war in Afghanistan who have described the war as an ‘imperialist war’. To account for the general character of this war in this manner does not diminish or deflect from condemnation of particular acts of war, including the September 11th attacks.
What are the characteristics of imperialism? How can the continuities
in foreign policy and especially in world ordering projects be identified?
To what extent does one see the prosecution and
justifications of this war in Afghanistan as part of a much larger re-ordering
of the world and, in turn the fulfilment of a longer historical project
and ambition? Is the ‘war against terrorism’
little more than a thinly-veiled opportunity to exercise disciplining
and imperial force in the making of a new world order?
However different the immediate spark for intervention in Afghanistan,
it is striking that the broad ideological context
and justifications for the intervention in Afghanistan parallels or mimics
– often repeats in sometimes updated language – the reasoning presented
throughout the nineteenth century fin de siecle new imperialism.
Thus, as our front cover reproduces, Christianity
and Civilization walk hand in hand bringing light to the world, banishing
superstition, expelling tyranny, rejecting ignorance and carrying with
them the technological improvements which mark out the modern from the
backward world. The unholy alliance of Bush, Blair, Putin, Sharon, Musharraf,
and the overflowing house of Saud are today walking shoulder to shoulder,
we are reassured, bringing enduring freedom to the world.
Whereas the new new imperialism of today’s unholy alliance is conducted beneath the banners of enduring freedom, humanitarian intervention, the emancipation of women (for a week or two at least), the restoration of democracy (with a king!) and the promise of industrial technologies (oil pipelines for everyone), our cover is reproduced from a Chicago-based ‘interdenominational social gospel magazine’ going by the quaintly-titled name of ‘The Ram’s Horn’ (a possible name for a re-launched New Labour party magazine perhaps?) but published in …1899.
Over these first three issues of Eclipse we have
been fortunate to be able to publish articles from leading scholars in
the field - Sandra Halperin, Avi Shlaim, Stephen Burman, Kees ven der
Pijl, and Aijaz Ahmad to name but a few. In the new year we will
continue to publish Eclipse on a fortnightly basis, drawing on scholarship
and commentary from around the world. Our first issues of the new year
will emphasise questions of gender and questions of Islam as matters which
have hitherto been dealt with by the politicians and the media in one-dimensional
and instrumental ways. In addition we will be using the winter break to
develop the Eclipse web site which we aim to put online at the beginning
of January, coincident with the publication of the fourth issue of Eclipse
on 7th January.