Bernie Sanders and the problems of the empire

HAVANA – For more than 2,500 years, the history of humanity has been characterized by the struggle between, and against, empires. All have gone through periods of boom or decay, marking important differences in the domestic political life of these countries.

The essence of the stability of all empires is that, in one way or another, the entire imperial society benefits from the exploitation of third parties. Even the poorest people achieve living standards above the average of the inhabitants of the dominated countries. This explains the historical tendency of emigration to the metropolis, even if it is to occupy the most disadvantaged strata of these societies.

This reality conditions the political expressions of imperialist societies and establishes their objective limits. The majority of the population tends to support a status quo that benefits them, as well as to accept the ideological premises on which the state of imperial domination is based.

This balance is broken when the imperialist state is unable to meet the expectations of its citizens, especially in certain sectors where its political solidity rests, for example, the current white middle class in countries like the United States.

It is a situation that exacerbates internal contradictions, polarizes society, depreciates the prestige of political institutions, and is a source of conflict among a multitude of groups, which tend to proliferate in a context where the framework of political options widens and increases the social struggles of a diverse nature.

This is precisely the process that reflects the candidacy of Senator Bernie Sanders. It is not an isolated case where a well-intentioned politician defends an agenda of well-intentioned but utopian ideas, but a movement that has gained in extension and organization, reaching positions in the country’s governmental bodies.

Although he defines himself as a “democratic socialist,” Sanders does not seek a break from the American system, but rather the improvement of situations related to respect for human rights, inequality in his own country or the actions of the U.S. in the world.

Sometimes, from radical positions on the left, the scope of this message is underestimated or its intentions are disqualified. By not modifying its objectives, but rather the methods to achieve them, it only constitutes, some say, “a make-over of the same imperialism.” However, it is not a minor difference, since it’s in the methods where the policy is specified and this is what determines the existing order.

In addition, the movement headed by Sanders shows us that American society is not a monolithic entity alien to values that are part of the best American traditions. In the United States there are many people who defend justice, are concerned with protecting the environment, and feel respect for others.

Sanders is not a demagogue. Throughout his life he has defended a political agenda linked to the defense of civil rights in the United States. The boom reached in recent years, as the center of the most progressive trends of American society, is only explained by the transformations that are taking place in that society.

This movement has the added value of focusing not only on economic and social aspects, but also ideological, representing the clearest confrontation with the racist, xenophobic and sexist expressions that animate the American far right and today constitute the political base of the Trump presidency.

Having legitimized a socialist current in the United States, no matter the objections we may attribute to its definition, constitutes a huge step forward in a country historically dominated by the most reactionary tendencies.

The fact that Donald Trump has singled out the struggle against socialism within the United States itself can be interpreted as an electoral move aimed at exploiting a matrix of thought widespread in that country. Even in its most extreme version, it signals the resurgence of McCarthyism.

However, it also reflects the need of the right to confront a political force that is rapidly gaining followers, which highlights an unthinkable scenario just a few years ago in the United States.

At the moment it would be pure speculation to predict whether Sanders, or any other progressive candidate mentored by him, has a chance to win the next U.S. presidential election.

Suffice it to say that despite the enormous obstacles that must be faced, the signs so far are not negative. In the last two elections the performance of this political movement has been quite successful and the recent announcement of his candidacy has been very well received among his supporters.

It is a fact that we are in the presence of a qualitative advance with regard to other expressions of dissent that, although massive, as was the case of Occupy Wall Street, lacked the articulation necessary to impact the political structures of the country.

Understanding the complexity of this situation, and taking advantage of the opportunities that emerge from its dynamics, is a necessity for progressive forces inside and outside the United States, as well as the contemporary anti-imperialist movement.

It is not by chance that someone once said that nothing was more revolutionary than a good theory.