My Way or the Highway

The binary logic of absolute divisions has increasingly shaped global political discourse

- Anand Teltumbde

IN the wake of the Iraq War, then US President George W. Bush famously proclaimed, "If you are not with us, you are against us." This statement was not just a justification for war. It epitomised a dangerous worldview that has since proliferated across political and ideological spectrums. The binary logic of absolute divisions-where one is either an ally or an enemy, a patriot or a traitor-has increasingly shaped global political discourse. As the world grapples with the failures of neoliberal capitalism and the crises it has engendered, the rise of authoritarian and fascist regimes has only deepened this trend. The fight against these regimes, therefore, is fundamentally a fight against this vision of binaries.

The Advent of Neoliberalism

The two decades following World War II were a golden phase for capitalism. The widespread destruction caused by the war provided enormous opportunities for investment in reconstruction. The United States, emerging as the dominant global power, implemented the Marshall Plan in Europe, while Japan and other war-torn economies underwent rapid industrialisation. This period was characterised by state intervention, economic planning and high public investment, creating stable employment and sustained growth. Keynesian economic policies, which emphasised government spending and demand-driven growth, were the foundation of this prosperity.

However, by the late 1960s, the growth model that had fuelled post-war capitalism began to stagnate. The saturation of markets, declining profit rates, and the inability of existing industries to absorb surplus capital led to an economic slowdown. Trade unions in the West demanded higher wages, welfare provisions expanded, and corporate profits began to shrink. The system that had thrived on expansion struggled with overproduction and declining returns.