Will Western capitalist fascism reach Arab governments?

Historical development of capitalism:

Capitalism has gone through well-known historical stages, starting with competitive capitalism with the dominance of the bourgeoisie after the industrial revolution that started in Britain between the 17th and 18th centuries. This is the capitalism that Marx witnessed and analyzed in depth in his book (Capital), and considered it - after communism and feudalism - the third stage in the development of Western society, followed by the socialist stage. His prediction was not fulfilled, as capitalism continued its rise from competitiveness to the imperialist stage, which is a combination of economic exploitation and political dominance practiced by major capitalist countries over developing countries. In this system, human and natural resources in weak colonized countries are exploited for the benefit of major capitalist companies, and political and military influence is used to ensure the continuation of this exploitation. Lenin, the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, witnessed this stage of capitalism and analyzed it in his book (Imperialism is the Highest Stage of Capitalism), but capitalism was able to renew itself and alleviate its crises, and imperialism did not become its last stage as Lenin expected. The third stage was intertwined with imperialism, namely monopoly capitalism, with its control over markets and tastes globally, and allowed fascism and Nazism to grow and flourish after the socialist revolutions in Europe. This capitalism ignited the two world wars with the aim of redistributing the wealth, lands and seas of the world's countries in favor of the major imperialist capitalist countries - Britain, France and the United States - while being forced to present the countries of Northern Europe as marginal countries to the socialist power represented by the countries of the Soviet Union and the rest of the countries of its socialist camp, due to their participation with the capitalist allies in the war against Nazi Germany and the Axis powers - Italy, Japan and the remnants of Ottoman Türkiye.

Capitalism humanized itself after World War II, guided by the successful economic and social policies implemented in the socialist camp, such as social care and protection for the working classes, peasants and the poor. Therefore, a branch of social capitalism emerged from liberal capitalism, where "markets remain free" but with government interventions to ensure equality and social justice. The system is based on providing a "social safety net" that includes free health care and education, while guaranteeing workers' rights. At this stage, the Keynesian economic school dominated the capitalist economy. In the late 1960s, capitalism tried to rid itself of its financial and monetary crises, so neoliberalism emerged to lead this capitalism until the end of the second decade of the current century. One of the most important features of neoliberalism is the privatization of government companies, including basic sectors such as transportation, energy, health and education in favor of private companies, and reducing the role of the state in the economy, as the free market became the main driver of development. This stage was accompanied by the emergence of "globalization" as an economic phenomenon, as companies expanded across borders and international markets became more interconnected. This has also led to increased international trade and foreign direct investment. The focus on financial capital has become more powerful and influential than the productive sectors. One of the most important results of neoliberalism has been an increase in inequality, as economic disparities between countries and between social classes within countries have widened. In recent decades, some economists have argued that capitalism has entered a new phase of its development, called "digital capitalism" and the "knowledge economy", where "digital technology" and the Internet have become the main drivers of the global economy.

The importance of companies that rely on digital technology such as Google, Amazon and Facebook has increased as they control data and e-commerce. Companies that own technology and artificial intelligence and thus monopolize "knowledge and innovation" as the main drivers of economic development have become the most important. As neoliberal programs and policies have proven to be destructive to many of the world's economies, brutal against the poor and middle classes, and failed to save capitalism from its new crises that were the result of capitalism's transformations from productivity to the dominance of financial, service and credit speculation, such that this capitalism, whose joints are now controlled by global cartels and the 1% of the wealthy who control 90% of the world's wealth, has become threatened by countries that have begun to liberate themselves from their hegemony such as China and Russia, and fearing the return of the socialist and leftist "ghost" again, it decided at that moment to reveal its true essence represented by military and political fascism, so it moved from monopolistic imperialist capitalism to fascist capitalism. It is the current stage of the stages of savage neoliberal capitalism.

Lazzarato's theory of capitalist fascism:

Deepening his analysis of this new stage of capitalism, the Italian sociologist, Maurizio Lazzarato, deeply theorized the features of the new world order led by fascist capitalism - as he put it - and published the gist of his idea in an article on the website "Zero", where he considered that the governments he called "defeated selves" can only submit to neoliberalism, which is allied in a holy alliance with fascism. What is meant here are all the governments of countries that submitted - after resistance - to the control of economic neoliberalism, which was imposed on some of them, such as the countries of Latin America, and some European countries, such as Italy and Greece, through a violent transition from one political-economic system to another, with this transitional phase being accelerated by the use of military and security force. Once the governments that resisted neoliberal policies were defeated, neoliberal economists sat side by side with the fascist military who headed the governments of South America, imposing new norms and behaviors, based on the economy of debt and consumption on credit instead of increasing wages and supporting social welfare programs. In his article, Lazzarato reviews the course of the capitalist economy as follows: “Classical liberalism was destroyed with the First World War, but capitalism continued to reproduce itself, allied with fascism and Nazism, which gradually began to dominate from the 1930s until their defeat in the Second World War. Today, neoliberalism is dead, but capitalism continues through war and civil war and renewing its alliances with new fascisms, taking the violence of genocide as its face.”

Lazzarato emphasizes a very important point, which is that the political, social and media essence of capitalist neoliberalism is the same as fascism, and that it does not believe in the principles and values of democracy, freedom, equality and human rights, as he asserts that "in the capitalist West, democracy was only established for a short period thanks to the class struggle and revolutions of the twentieth century." With the absence of these national liberation revolutions, the West returned to what it was, "a democracy for the owners of capital, the means of production and the land, a democracy for war and genocide and a democracy for fascism." Monopoly capitalism creates an evolution that leads to "fascist barbarism," in contrast to competitive capitalism, which develops towards political and economic democracy with social dimensions. The most prominent feature of historical fascism is that, unlike communists and revolutionaries, it does not need to seize power, as capitalist governments terrified by their crises offer it to them on a silver platter. "Fascism and Nazism have become indispensable elements for the existence and continuation of the state machine - capital."

Characteristics of capitalist fascism:

To condense the vision of the Italian sociologist Lazzarato on the fascist features of current capitalism, it can be identified in the following points:

1- Capitalist fascism: It is a term that refers to the alliance between fascism* and capitalism, where the ideas of the fascist system in terms of “strong central authority” and “intense nationalism” or “extreme populism” are combined with the neoliberal “capitalist economy”, but with the state intervening strongly and effectively in regulating the economy in favor of the ruling classes or large corporations.

2- In this system, the economy is controlled by the "fascist state" or the major capitalist classes. But within the framework of "political tyranny" and "strong control".

3- Capitalist fascism in which governments controlled by the far-right majority cooperate with large corporations to achieve “economic and political dominance.” This cooperation can take forms such as “government funding” for large corporations or “government contracts” that guarantee them “profit” and “expansion.” These large corporations benefit from this government support, while the state provides political and economic protection for these corporations, such as ensuring political stability or protecting the internal market* from foreign competition - this is the program of the new American president with competitors such as China.

4- Capitalist fascism is characterized by "central authority" and "authoritarian rule", where "political freedoms are restricted" and "political repression" of dissenters is carried out. "Strict censorship" is imposed on the media and society, and any kind of "popular protests" or "criticisms" of the ruling regime are suppressed.

5- These regimes promote an ideology of “national supremacy,” where “citizens” of “other races or cultures” are portrayed as “enemies” or threats to the nation.

6- Capitalist fascism is linked to "military expansion" and "external domination" over weak states or "neo-colonialism". It may seek to occupy new lands or expand its influence in strategic areas, in order to enhance its economic or political interests.

Applications of capitalist fascism in Europe:

After this theoretical introduction, Lazzarato moves on to its applications in Europe, where he sees that what is happening now after liberalism lost the European elections, the state-capital machine has begun to bring fascists to power, as his predecessors did in the 1930s, before World War II. Because they are the ideal solution in times of capitalist disasters is the control of fascists: fascists implement the policies of capital like liberals, but with “illiberal” governance, that is, with repressive governance, even with a constitution and democratic institutions for the periodic rotation of power. Take, for example, the alleged anti-system positions promoted by the Italian fascists who are already in power. As soon as they came to power, they immediately abandoned the sovereign tendency, becoming obedient executors of European orders and servants of Atlanticism, while at the same time pledging to sell the “homeland” to American pension funds. These fascists, great patriots, open their borders to “foreign” capital, while closing them to a few thousand immigrants or deporting them to Albania. In return for her loyal service to the American masters, their maid “Meloni” received her reward from the Atlantic Council. (Meloni has been the current Prime Minister of Italy since October 2022. She is a member of the far-right nationalist party “Brothers of Italy.”) The government has also cut resources for health care and public schools, and has promoted the privatization of all public services, the same policy pursued by American funds. It has impoverished the country, especially after stripping pensioners of their rights, and has passed repressive laws that limit strikes and demonstrations, and even made “passive resistance” (the style of the Indian leader Gandhi) a punishable crime. No taxes have been imposed on the enormous profits of banks, insurance companies, multinationals in the energy and pharmaceutical sectors, or digital technology giants. It also encouraged legalized tax evasion, through what is called “tax optimization,” which is a prerequisite for financial capitalism. This massive transfer of wealth into the pockets of business owners drained public accounts, and now the fascists are calling on the people, especially the poor and pensioners, to make “sacrifices,” “to endure injustice and poverty,” until we reach economic security. In economic and fiscal policy, the fascists appear more liberal than the liberals themselves. The only area in which they adhere to their fascist promises is the suppression of all forms of opposition. After Italy, France’s turn began during Macron’s term in office, convinced that dissolving parliament and calling new general elections was the best way to pave the way for the control of the fascists, these “more than reliable” allies. But the fascists lost, and so did Macron, and it became clear that the first political force so far in France is the “soft” left! The president immediately refused to recognize the results of the elections. In a situation of American domination of France, where only force counts, doing what the state-capital machine demands becomes essential. Democratic norms are effectively suspended and subject to the will of the democratic “master” Macron, who has appointed a government with full representation of the right, from the Republicans to the fascists, that is, the forces that emerged defeated in the elections. The government was formed only because the fascists who hold it and are openly proud of it abstained from voting. The political path was open to fascist power, all that was missing was the economic path. And here it is: the new government must cover the budget deficit left by the previous government, made up of bankers, which spent billions of public money lavishly on corporations and the wealthy. Now public spending must be cut by 60 billion euros, which can only be achieved by implementing austerity policies. This is the same policy that “generous” Europe imposed on Greece.

Nazism flourished between the wars not because of inflation, as the German democratic narrative promotes, but because of the austerity imposed by the crisis of 1929. All the conditions are now in place for the return to power of the fascists who were rejected by the “people” in the elections in the near future. This is the current Western democracy. And American democracy is not deviating from this path after Trump’s victory!

The practice of capitalist fascism in Palestine:

The current state of Western democracies is an absolute belief in the practice of “just war” and “declared or latent civil war,” which places the enemy outside the law, namely the countries that have begun to compete with them in their own interests, such as Russia and China. Under the pretext of the political and moral superiority of the so-called democracies, including Israel! Enemies are criminalized to the point of being transformed into “uncivilized,” “barbarians,” and “savages,” definitions that revive memories of colonialism. Enmity is transformed into absolute enmity in the “hysterical belief in absolute right.” The same rhetorical and political procedure is applied to the “internal enemy” in a latent but clearly defined civil war through “legal and public shaming, discrimination, overt or covert blacklists, and declaring someone an enemy of the state, the people, or humanity,” with the aim of suppressing any opposition, even the slightest, to the war with Russia or the genocide of the Palestinians. When media and political rhetoric is not enough, the police intervene. The shameful use of the charge of anti-Semitism sums up the definition of the enemy today. Since the beginning of the war against Russia, and even more so with the genocide unleashed against the Palestinians—two moments in the confrontation with the Global South—“just war!” and civil war are openly carried out against anyone who refuses to submit to the ongoing militarization: “Doubting one’s own right is treason; paying attention to one’s opponent’s argument is disloyalty; attempting to argue becomes an agreement with the enemy.”

Arab regimes and capitalist fascism:

Now, when comparing all those savage economic policies implemented by the "Western democracies" in Latin America, Italy, France and Greece, and the savagery and barbarism they practiced in Gaza and the West Bank, and what the Arab governments implemented in their societies, which led to the same destructive economic and social effects, and to the same results of deficits, astronomical debts, more poverty, and the stripping of pensioners' rights. And the same media discourse used in the West, such as making "sacrifices" by the people, and that any objection to these policies is considered disloyalty and treason to the homeland.

So, if democracy in Western Europe and America can save the monopolistic capitalist minority by helping and contributing to the rise of fascism to power, will the failed Arab regimes openly declare their fascism, after having actually implemented it in the past decades, and imitate their Western capitalist masters in our societies in our current era?!