World on Fire - Brownstein, Michael [147]
[t]he Saudi monarchy must order a comprehensive overview of its funding (both private and public) of extremist Islam, which is now the kingdom’s second largest export to the rest of the world. It must rein in its religious and educational leaders and force them to stop flirting with fanaticism. In Egypt, we must ask President Mubarak to insist that the state-owned press drop its anti-American and anti-Semitic rants, end the glorification of suicide bombers and begin opening itself up to other voices in the country. In Qatar we might ask the emir, who launched Al-Jazeera, to make sure that responsible, moderate Muslims appear as regularly on his network as extremist bin Laden sympathizers. None of this will produce democracy, but it will slow down the spread of illiberal voices and viewpoints.
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Market-Dominant Minorities:
Taking the Lead against Ethnonationalism
The previous sections on markets and democracy did not offer any quick fixes to the problem of market-dominant minorities and ethnonationalist backlash. There is a reason for this: Even assuming that free market democracy is the optimal end point for most non-Western countries, in the short run markets and democracy are themselves part of the problem. So long as markets continue to reinforce the stark economic dominance of a resented ethnic minority, as they have throughout the non-Western world, then the introduction of democratic politics, putting political power into the hands of the impoverished “indigenous” majority, will always be a source of tremendous potential instability. And we can only “adjust” and “restrain” market capitalism and democracy so much before we undermine them altogether.
Fortunately or unfortunately, then, the best hope for global free market democracy lies with market-dominant minorities themselves. This is adamantly not to blame market-dominant minorities for the ethnonationalist backlashes against them. But it is to suggest that market-dominant minorities may be in the best position to address the most pressing challenges threatening free market democracy today.
One of the ironies about market-dominant minorities is that they are so often perceived as “leeches” “draining away the nation’s wealth” and “a menace to the economy” when in fact they are usually a crucial source of national economic vitality and growth. This irony makes the problem of market-dominant minorities a special case of ethnic conflict, presenting both distinctive obstacles and opportunities. The obstacles stem from the overlap of class and ethnic division: In addition to all the usual problems of ethnic hatred, market-dominant minorities face the specific problem of economic resentment, often associated with stereotypes of greed, selfishness, disloyalty, and exploitation. The opportunities stem from the reality that market-dominant minorities have the skills and resources to contribute to economic growth and development.
The challenge is to grapple with these obstacles and take advantage of the opportunities. In what follows, I begin by addressing a topic that is often treated as taboo: whether market-dominant minorities engage in objectionable practices that reinforce or exacerbate ethnic hatred. I then discuss possible affirmative measures that market-dominant minorities might take to forestall majority-based ethnonationalist backlashes against them. Ideally, and if only out of self-interest, market-dominant minorities would voluntarily take steps to foster the reality and the perception that they are vital, public-spirited contributors to the national interest rather than “arrogant” and “exploitative” “outsiders.”
Objectionable Practices
It should be stressed at the outset that there are some market-dominant minorities who are victimized solely because of their ethnic difference and their disproportionate wealth. It should also be stressed