| Brian Holmes on Fri, 21 May 2021 07:21:20 +0200 (CEST) |
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| Re: <nettime> A Non-Western Metanarrative (for the benefit of My Holmes) |
# distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission(All beatles puns intended)
In. late January, briefly after my return from 5 years in the UAE, during which time I engaged in tactical media in Central Asia and the Caucasus, started a VR center in Abu Dhabi, and married my life partner, Negin Ehtesabian, who was my collaborator in any number of US/Iran projects through Morehshin Allahyari, who is awaiting the USCIS's call in. Tehran, which is extended by the inequities of the Trump Administration, and separated by the COVID crisis. These are not easy times.
Regardless, Brian wanted my snapshot from afar, which will likely be given in more detail in an in-process book which is similar to Baudrillard's "America" about my time in the UAE, as I feel that the UAE is almost the New America.
The problem is that the situation morphed from 2015 to 2021. I went from someone spending my summers in Canada, to remaining in Asia, digging deep into West and Central Asia, which are (not widely visited by westerners [areas vary]) and paradigmatically radically different than the West, over what I call the EuroHegemonic postcolonial sphere.
I think I will just make indexical comments then unpack them.
When Trump got into office, I began habitually checking CNN, in case there was a sudden nuclear exchange with North Korea or Iran. I did eat at the North Korean restaurant in Dubai on occasion.
Upon Trump's entry into office, it just seemed that much of the world prepared for American Exceprionalism to turn to hegemonic solipsism. Russia took the Crimea, launched cyberattacks, and lavrov began his flavor of what Vamos calls Confusionism. China took the South China ea and began colonizing Central, Asia, mining Bitcoins in Iran, took over the Port of Djbouti and colonizing Africa. What Geert and I foresaw came to pass - a global order breaking into spheres of control, balkanizing the world and vying for control. And my Ugandan taxi driver in Abu Dhabi loved Trump because he said he "spoke his heart", but then this guy liked Mugabe, he said,l for the same reasons.
The standard of living was amazing, and I spent a great deal of time watching the Dubai Future Foundation and their projects. Of course, Westerners can criticise the labor practices (I contextually agree) But there is the outsourcing paradigm to abusive agencies that often give, believe it or not , futures that are better than Nepal or the Subcontinent. The Louvre Abu Dhabi was built while I was there, and it is truly a very real place.
And, since my family is now half Iranian, I see inside the Axis of Evil for what it is; a construct.
Let's talk. I'll give you my biased opinion which is definitely non-Western, but not radical.
Maybe my ideas on why the Arab Spring was just a horr9ble idea.
All my Best.
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