got to be noticed. I don’t think it w as meant to be read beyond select
circles.
T he T rilateral Commission, the Council on Foreign R elations and
the like reflect a kind of consensus among business pow er,
government pow er and intellectuals w ho aren’t too far out of line.
(T hey try to bring in other elements too; for instance, John
Sw eeney, president of the AFL-CIO, w as at the Davos conference.
T hey’d very much like to co-opt labor leadership, as they’ve done in
the past.) T here’s plenty of evidence about w hat their view s and
goals are, and why they’re their view s and goals.
So you don’t see any dark conspiracies at w ork in these
organizations.
Having a forum in Sw itzerland w ould certainly be a pretty dumb
w ay to plan a conspiracy.
I don’t deny that there sometimes are conspiracies, by the w ay.
In 1956, Britain, France and Israel planned an invasion of Egypt in
secret. You can call that a conspiracy if you like, but it w as really
just a strategic alliance among huge pow er centers.
Admiral W illiam Ow ens [former vice-chair of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff] and Joseph Nye [former Clinton Defense Department official
w ho’s now dean of the Kennedy School at Harvard] predict that the
21st century w ill be “the U S century” because the U S dominates
w orld media, the internet and telecommunications.
T hey also say that the U S has an unrecognized “force multiplier”
in its international diplomacy and actions, w hich comes from
w orldw ide recognition of American democracy and free markets.
T hey cite telecommunications and information technology, both
textbook examples of how the public has been deluded into
subsidizing private pow er.
T he public assumes the risks and the costs, and is told it’s
defending itself against foreign enemies. That’s supposed to be an
illustration of democracy and markets. T he delusion is so ingrained
that nobody even comments on it.
T hrough Hollyw ood films and videos, T V and satellites, American