"The Liberal Virus" by Samir Amin

In a webinar conducted on "Negotiating Postcolonial Spaces", I was introduced to Samir Amin's The Liberal Virus.

Amin theorizes a strong argument on the need for the periphery ('poor' nations) to de-link from the world economy, in order to create autocentric development and rejecting the imperialism of the Triad (United States, Europe and Japan) inherent to Modernisation Theory. Amin explains the impingement of the American model on the rest of the world, and outlines its economic and political consequences. He argues how the American hegemonic system retards the growth of both citizenship and class consciousness and aborts any political crystallization. He calls this the "low-intensity democracy", and emphasizes on the fact that democratization is an ongoing process, rather than a rigid formula designed to support the logic of capital accumulation.

It is interestingly informative when Amin examines the fundamental problem, that has risen to be known as a 'liberal virus', is in fact analogous with self-destruction. It is important to understand his explanation on the distinction between the imaginary market and real capitalism. He attempts to shatter the translucent veil that the 'market' brings to the common person the opportunity for liberty. He affirms that the concept of equity has been realised as central to European liberalism. His strong critique on the production of market ideology in relation to politics and economics provides a balanced introduction to and understanding of the evolution of 'ideology', 'American hegemony' and the idea of 'liberalism' which otherwise is portrayed as 'reform' by the dominant classes.