The Black Commentator - Radio BC: Big Money Bites Itself in Ass

The contradictions of American capitalism flow like Niagara, as revealed by the controversy over the United Arab Emirates' scheme to take over control of American ports. The fact is, the United States is ruled by a financial elite that creates nothing, does nothing, but move money around. The whole system is about exchanging money.

This elite is not concerned about Americans' jobs, or anybody's jobs. They are not concerned about anybody's security, here or abroad. They are concerned about their financial assets, which they assume includes the public assets of the United States' people - such as the U.S. ports. That's the game they play. American politics - and the U.S. military posture in the world - is built around the financial edifice that the pirate class that has seized control of the United States, has built.

In order to create a mass popular base for these pirates, the Republican Party has mobilized white racism, to energize their own jihad against Muslims - just as the Dixiecrat Democrats mobilized white folks to do their bidding by making Blacks the great threat to white civilization. Now, it is the Muslims who threaten white civilization, as constructed by the white financial elite.

But there is a problem. Dubai, the hub of the United Arab Emirates, is a locus of global financial capital, emanating from oil. How does the finance capitalist class wage a jihad against Muslims, and at the same the same time maintain relations with their Arab and Muslim counterparts in the world of money? This is a serious problem, for the high finance class that rules America.

The contradiction came into flagrant view in the dispute over the American ports contract. Having been whipped into a frenzy of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim fervor, the white American public could not countenance - would not tolerate - the presence of Arabs in U.S. ports of entry. But they had tolerated Brits and other foreigners for years as overseers of U.S. ports. The problem was with Arabs. White commentators noted that the heads of the Arab port consortium wore…Arab headdresses. How dare they?!

Now, let's get down to the bone. The engine that the American business class has always fired up, to maintain the rule of the rich, is racism. But now that chicken has come home to roost. The Republicans, who are the greatest purveyors of anti-Arab racism, are also the greatest friends of the Arab ruling classes in places like Dubai - where the money is. Bush & Company claim that these ties are national security issues, but we know the deal: it has nothing to do with American national security, but with the financial arrangements among the international rich classes. This naked reality, revealed in the United Arab Emirates deal, led to a revolt among the Republican base. Racism turned around and bit them on their backsides. You cannot demonize Arabs and do mega-billions of dollars in business with them at the same time. The same thing goes for the Chinese.

The same engine that drives reactionary Republican political policy - racism - stands in the way of their ability to deal financially in the global market. That's their contradiction, and they deserve to have it. For Radio BC, I'm Glen Ford.

You can visit the Radio BC page to listen to any of our audio commentaries voiced by BC Co-Publisher and Executive Editor, Glen Ford. We publish the text of the radio commentary each week along with the audio program.