Justification is a Thing of the Past

THE Slovenian philosopher, Slavoj Žižek, insists that by failing to unearth so-called weapons of mass destruction during the Iraq War, the United States offered us “a positive sign” that it is quite unlike those totalitarian regimes that would simply have planted the evidence to support their actions.

What Žižek fails to consider, however, is the fact that the countries of the West have so convinced the majority of their own people that they represent the values of ‘freedom,’ ‘truth’ and ‘democracy’ that they don't even need to justify their imperialist behaviour. What set them on the road to war is soon forgotten by the brainwashed masses and there is nothing remotely ‘positive’ about that. People are so content with having exchanged political participation for political representation that there will inevitably come a time when there will be no more need for pretense. I am not a Christian, but it often seems like an inversion of holy scripture:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)