By Maung Zarni
A failed state is a deeply problematic concept invented in the halls of Western policy makers and academics who suffer from the cancer of
selective amnesia – about the role their own regimes and “civilizations” have played in creating, witting or not, these so-called “failed states”.
Heard of slavery and TransAtlantic Slave Trade? Heard of Bretton Woods Agreement which gave birth to the global process of well-financed
plunder of the world – under the banner of “Free Market”? Heard of European Colonialisms ? , just to name a few.
Behind a failed state is a western imperialist power and its design on that state.
My advice to my fellow activists or activist-scholars is not to parrot bullshit even if it is fashionable and fundable in the INGO industry and the academic world.
To “a failed state”, I much prefer a ‘failed society’ ‘a failed culture’ ‘a failed people’.
By “a failed society”, I mean a society that has failed to equip each of its citizen with a conscience, empathy and ability to think for him or herself.
My own society – Myanma (note the correct spelling) or Burma – is a textbook example of a failed society.
We have produced no significant critical voices which would have enabled the society to self-correct.
As such there is NO home-gown solution to prevent or end war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
As scary as the rise of Donald Trump and Nigel Farage in USA and UK these two societies – in contrast to We the Burmese – are capable of mounting a meaningful opposition against the forces of Evil – like Fascism, racism, etc.
It is NOT that these predominantly white societies are NOT racist; they ARE very racist. But they also have a significant segment of society which are self-reflective, compassionate, intellectual and principled.
Alas, no such luck for the victims of Burmese colonial wars and a genocide at home.
24 November 2016
Maung Zarni is a Burmese democracy advocate, human rights campaigner, and a former research fellow at the London School of Economics. He lived and worked in the United States for 17 years.