MARINA DEL REY, CA--In Genoa the world's leaders met to do the most peaceful and civilized thing they could possibly do, discuss ways to increase trade and international cooperation--and yet they were confronted by hordes of violent, uncivilized protesters, observed a senior writer for the Ayn Rand Institute.
The sight of the world's leaders meeting under siege conditions is reminiscent of the last days of the Roman Empire, when the very core of civilization was threatened and eventually overrun by a horde of barbarians. Are these latter-day barbarians trying to achieve anything positive? "Their goals can only be described as a list of the things they are against," said Robert Tracinski, also a columnist for Creators Syndicate. "They condemn the spread of art, ideas, and even cuisine as 'cultural imperialism.' They oppose the existence of large-scale productive enterprises, i.e., corporations. They are belligerently anti-technology, anti-industry, and--because it is the world's center of industry, technology, and trade--anti-American."
The one goal that all the various mobs of leftists support, said Tracinski, "is the use of physical force to suppress free-trade negotiations."
Tracinski noted that although not all of the protesters were anarchists, "anarchism is the truest expression of their position, which consists of the desire to break down any kind of organization, cooperation, or trade--by eliminating its foundation: the rule of law. It is an assault by today's barbarians against the 'constraints' of civilization, an assault that needs to be taken seriously--because, as in ancient Rome, when barbarians do not meet with resistance, both physical and intellectual, civilization is in danger."
Ayn Rand Institute senior writer Robert Tracinski is available for interviews.
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