Nationalism: Can it be reclaimed for Order?
And two examples from the pinnacle of Disordering Dysfunction: US Penny coin production and the feud over Libya's Central Bank
Mega Orderers, have I got some special content for you! We have some very Kafka-esque and paradigmatic examples of Disordering Dysfunction at the end of This week’s missive, but I’d like to kick it off on a more upbeat note with some ways that our biological predilections and cultural evolution might be used to help foster order—
Part 2 of my interview with Harvey Whitehouse, author of Inheritance: The Evolutionary Origins of the Modern World. (Listen here)
We investigate whether nationalism (which has become something of a dirty word on the Left over the last years) or the more technical anthropological concept of ‘identity fusion’ can be used for good (rather than just as a calling card for Neo-Populists and disorderers); whether playing off of evolutionary biases towards in-group solidarity might be necessary to solve the collective action problems of today’s world, how putting policy creation in the hands of citizens assemblies (i.e. sortition) might help us Order the Disorder; and what lessons traditional religiosity could teach us about creating Order.
I think there is a lot to sink one’s teeth into here with some genuine ideas about new forms of collective solidarity which could underpin collective action. We don’t directly discuss the Baha’i faith or ideas of shared Western-ness or Judeo-Christian solidarity but these concepts are not too far behind the discussion of identity fusion and football fandom.
The reality is humanity needs some kind of nationalism or internationalism, we need religion or even secular/civic religion, we need collective forms of identity… maybe ones that transcend traditional ethno-religious groups… ones that are more focused around the issues of today’s world and allow broadly inclusive identity fusion rather than oppositional identity fusion… Well Harvey explains it better than I can so you should listen to him talk about ways we can bring people together for shared goals (Listen here)
Or if you want a teaser of his modest, mellifluous accent telling hard truths with laser focused insights you can watch him for a few seconds here and ponder what it might be like being one of the coolest Oxford professors alive:
If you are as much in awe of Harvey as I am then please get Harvey’s book:
Inheritance: The Evolutionary Origins of the Modern World https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/451443/inheritance-by-whitehouse-harvey/9781529152227
For more on Harvey and his amazing breadth of research:
https://www.harveywhitehouse.com/
Explore the ideas of Peter Turchin’s ‘Ultrasociety’ which is fundamentally about how nationalism is needed to solve any large scale collective action problem:
https://peterturchin.com/book/ultrasociety/
And to access the full Disorder pod episode (You can Listen here)
Ok… well that is more than enough from me about Nationalism… now to some seriously quirky and seriously Delightfully Dysfunctional Disorder:
This is a New York Times article which can be listened to as an audio essay (by scrolling down a bit and clicking the play button) about US Penny Production and the Penny Paradox... https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/01/magazine/worthless-pennies-united-states-economy.html?smid=url-share
Firstly, thanks mom for passing along this gem. Secondly, I do not think anyone will feel like they have wasted an hour if they listen to this article it has certain Kafka-esque melancholy bureaucratic humour to it that not only made me laugh outloud on many occasions but I feel resonates with what the Enduring Disorder is all about, or to quote, “few things symbolize our national [or in reality international] dysfunction more than the inability to stop minting this worthless currency.”
and
“Americans accumulate pennies not because we desire them but because we are entitled to them. If we pay for something in cash with more than exact change, we expect to receive back the difference; if the difference ends in any number other than 0 or 5, we will receive at least one penny. We are entitled to pennies because they exist. But imagine a world where they didn’t. Imagine a world where it was Canada. Many Americans will be surprised to learn that Canada eliminated its 1-cent coin more than a decade ago.”
and
“Within the United States, it is accepted that the Treasury Department will relentlessly flood the penny-sogged nation with nuisance pennies until Congress passes a law to stop it from doing so. But how could such legislation ever, reasonably, be proposed? Pennies are not even important relative to other American minor coins, let alone in comparison to, for instance, the rights of man. Vaporizing every single penny would have virtually no effect on the amount of money we have in circulation. They are worth so little that almost no one I approached — including representatives for the entities that make and distribute them — was able, or willing, to discuss them.”
Well enough about the tragic trifles of Penny Production.. and onto less humorous and more depressingly dysfunctional disorder— Libya:
For those not following the horrific saga unfolding in Tripoli for control of the Central Bank here is a primer from Reuters:
Libya's central bank (CBL) is the sole legal repository for Libyan oil revenues and it pays state salaries across the country. If those functions are compromised by the current crisis, Libyans will soon feel the pinch.
As a result of the oilfields closures, the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) said total production had plunged to just over 591,000 bpd by Aug. 28 from nearly 959,000 bpd on Aug. 26, amounting to losses of over $120 million over the three days. Production was at about 1.28 million bpd on July 20, NOC said.
And here is a very comprehensive high researched article with a lot of expert interviews from the New Arab: https://www.newarab.com/analysis/how-central-bank-dispute-caused-libyas-oil-shutdown
It quotes me… but it is actually quoting Rhiannon Smith, the Managing Director of Libya-Analysis because she produces our weekly reports and Libya-Analysis substack from which they appear to have taken the quote:
The crisis “has already created significant economic and political instability, with a negative impact on the Libyan economy, Libya’s international standing and access to financial systems, and importantly, the lives of normal Libyans,” Jason Pack, President of Libya-Analysis LLC, told TNA.
He warned that at the local level, “Libyans will likely find it hard to live their day-to-day lives in these conditions, meaning anger will rise, along with pressure for actors to do something about it”.
The situation over the central bank is still volatile. Amid fears that his appointment could lead to conflict or threats to his life, Mohammed Shukri stated on 23 August that he would only assume the position and replace al-Kabir if there is a consensus between the rival governments…..
“The latest crisis illustrates that Libyan power struggles are entirely transactional, with yesterday's foes transformed into today's allies,” Stephanie Williams, former special adviser on Libya to the UN Secretary-General and non-resident senior fellow at Brookings, told The New Arab.
“There are no real allegiances in Libya, only the pursuit of personal interests in what can be described as a redistributive kleptocracy.”
She added that “it's time for these stale figures to withdraw from the scene and for Libyans to have the opportunity to choose their representatives through a free and fair franchise".
To read straight wisdom from luminaries like Stephanie and Karim Mezran click here.
The reality is that all this Paradigmatically Disordering Dysfunction was well anticipated in my book:
And really gets at the heart of the core principles and dynamics of the Enduring Disorder…
And now for some pay for only content… It is a video of me and some other Libya experts talking about the floods in Derna last year and what has been done with the reconstruction and what the West is or is not doing in Libya and is or is not capable of doing. It is the National Council on US -Libya Relations webinar, A year after the Derna Daniel Storm tragedy; what does the future hold for the city and Libya?:
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