The narrative about the "great" Western democracies buries the fact that they were built on colonialism. These "democracies" couldn't get to where they were without the subjugation and exploitation of non-Westerners, which built their economies and supplied themselves /1

with resources and riches that they were able to obtain through horrific means. Through the accumulation of resources through means that would be otherwise considered unthinkable at home, Western democracies used this wealth to claim legitimacy and to justify their existence /2

The erasure of colonialism's victims fits into the logic of capitalism with the claim that it made these "democracies" great. Capitalism and democracy thrive on narratives that erase the horrors of colonialism and the victimization of non-Westerners from around the world /3

Whether it's the settler colonial projects in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Palestine, South Africa, and Latin America, slavery in the Americas, or the extractive colonies in Africa and Asia, capitalism and Western democracy needed subjects to exploit over in order /4

to extract the wealth and resources they need in order to satiate the masses and to give the illusion that all is well and that the prosperity gained is just and fair. Through projecting authoritarian and exploitive tendencies to their colonial subjects, capitalism and /5

Western democracy can create the appearance of just rule without having to expose the horrible realities to those whom they rely their legitimacy from. The reality of Western democracies is that their claims to individual rights and representative democracy /6

are meant to ensure the continuation of systems of exploitation and oppression that have endured way before the advent of modern Western democracies by providing a symbolic pressure valve against dissent by giving the masses a portion of the wealth and political power /7

so that they would turn away from directing their anger against the whole system, thus allowing these governments to commit authoritarianism elsewhere

This is why Western democracy can never be a model for dealing with the problems of oppression, tyranny, and exploitation /8

And whilst people in other countries may understandably find the appeal of Western democracy alluring, we must not be fooled by its supposed espousal of "democratic principles" and instead work to reimagine what a world without authoritarianism actually looks like /9

This thread was inspired by the book "Necropolitics" by Achille Mbembe /End

https://www.dukeupress.edu/necropolitics