Philosophic Roots of Modern Ideology Liberal, Communism, Fascism, and Islamism

Preface It has been less than a decade since publication of the earlier, second edition ofPhilosophic Roots of Modern Ideology.During that brief time, dramatic changes--some unforeseeable--have occurred and significantly altered our world. Among the most significant events was the surprising and rapid collapse of the Soviet Union, bringing to a conclusion, at least for the time being, this particular experiment in building a socialist state. When that superpower disintegrated, so too did the "Cold War" between the Soviet Union (cumRussia) and the United States, leading some political thinkers to assumePax Americanawould soon become the global reality or that we were witnessing the end of ideology itself. This, however, has yet to happen. Military actions around the world--from the Middle East to Somalia, from East Timor to Yugoslavia, to name just a few-show that global peace under American hegemony remains elusory. Moreover, the recent detonation of nuclear devices in India and in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan call further into question just how stable the world is, even with only one superpower. Influential analysts suggest that with the Cold War now over we have entered an age characterized by a clash of civilizations. Others suggest fundamental and irreconcilable conflicts exist among the forces of the global free market, those of ethnonational tribalism, and those of democracy. Meanwhile, the People's Republic of China, the other great experiment in building socialism, found itself simultaneously enjoying the fiftieth anniversary of its founding while trying to learn to plot a course for itself without the presence of a helmsmen who can trace his roots back to its revolution. With the death of Deng Xiaoping, the last of China's celebrated founding generation, its new leaders must define China's place in a global economy where China is not only the most powerful communist nation but also seen by capitalists as an extraordinary market for future investment. The fall of the USSR led to events that poignantly illustrate the fragility of the absolute sovereignty of states. Governments appear to be threatened on two fronts: the political and the economic. For the first time in modern history, in 1999 the sovereign right of a nation to govern itself was challenged as NATO, acting on behalf of other powerful states, elected to force its policies on Yugoslavia. Regardless of one's views on the appropriateness of NATO's actions, there is no doubt that this event will have enormous consequences for the very concept of state sovereignty. In a less dramatic fashion, the European Union can tell its member nations what are acceptable social policies; and the United Nations, through sanctions and military actions, can try to force its mandate on any nation it perceives as a threat to world security. In a less obvious, but perhaps more effective manner, huge transnational corporations have been created; some have more money, power, and influence than many of the smaller nations, calling into question the ability of states to control individual economic entities. Who knows, perhaps like the city-state that preceded it, the nation-state may be in the process of undergoing profound changes that may lead to its transformation into a new form of political organization. Finally, the world has witnessed the emergence of politically significant religious movements. The deadly actions of the Aum Shinrikyo in Japan and Heaven's Gate in California signify the provocative character of the smaller movements. On the larger scale, the resurgence of mass-based religiopolitics has played an increasingly visible role in the West, most obviously seen in the Christian Coalition's influence on American politics. It is also profoundly visible in the modern states of the Muslim world, where Islamists argue that God's way is the only way to social justice and they challengeIngersoll, David E. is the author of 'Philosophic Roots of Modern Ideology Liberal, Communism, Fascism, and Islamism', published 2000 under ISBN 9780131090750 and ISBN 0131090755.