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The World We Wish to See; Revolutionary Objectives in the Twenty-First Century
English Books
144 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2008
6 people are currently reading
468 people want to read
About the author
Samir Amin
285 books315 followersThe Arabic profile: سمير أمين
Samir Amin (Arabic: سمير أمين) (3 September 1931 – 12 August 2018) was an Egyptian-French Marxian economist, political scientist and world-systems analyst. He is noted for his introduction of the term Eurocentrism in 1988 and considered a pioneer of Dependency Theory.
Samir Amin (Arabic: سمير أمين) (3 September 1931 – 12 August 2018) was an Egyptian-French Marxian economist, political scientist and world-systems analyst. He is noted for his introduction of the term Eurocentrism in 1988 and considered a pioneer of Dependency Theory.
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January 2, 2009A good overview of revolutionary tendencies and the possibilities for today. Amin is a genius. You may need to read the book twice to take it all in
May 29, 2023
This is the kind of book that I absolutely love to read…and the kind that depresses me to absolutely no end as I know that I’ll probably never see any of these ideas, solutions, etc., in my lifetime.
In “The World We Wish To See” Samir Amin lays out steps that that the nations of the world can take to begin to unfuck themselves from the damage caused by colonialism and neoliberalism, as well as untangling ourselves from the dual web of American Hegemonic power and English as the “universal language” on the international, regional, and national level. He also heavily supports, as any good leftist would, the democratization of all levels of life, and not under the neoliberal framework.
Mr. Amin also makes the case several times for the creation of a Fifth International, which mirrors the First in form and content and avoids the mistakes made by the Second and Third.
Overall, if you don’t have a fundamental understanding of Leftist thought and philosophy, many of the criticisms of neoliberalism may not make sense, as Mr. Amin doesn’t define neoliberalism for the reader, assuming that you are only reading this book because you are already a revolutionary leftist.
As a fun note, my copy, which I obtained used, is heavily highlighted for the first half…becoming slight more sparse as the page count goes up, until ending completely on page 80.
In “The World We Wish To See” Samir Amin lays out steps that that the nations of the world can take to begin to unfuck themselves from the damage caused by colonialism and neoliberalism, as well as untangling ourselves from the dual web of American Hegemonic power and English as the “universal language” on the international, regional, and national level. He also heavily supports, as any good leftist would, the democratization of all levels of life, and not under the neoliberal framework.
Mr. Amin also makes the case several times for the creation of a Fifth International, which mirrors the First in form and content and avoids the mistakes made by the Second and Third.
Overall, if you don’t have a fundamental understanding of Leftist thought and philosophy, many of the criticisms of neoliberalism may not make sense, as Mr. Amin doesn’t define neoliberalism for the reader, assuming that you are only reading this book because you are already a revolutionary leftist.
As a fun note, my copy, which I obtained used, is heavily highlighted for the first half…becoming slight more sparse as the page count goes up, until ending completely on page 80.
December 31, 2024
A socialist manifesto fit for our troubled times.
'Convergence in Diversity' is the guiding principle for any contemporary political action. However, we must be wary of its conflation with the moral passivity of postmodern discourse.
'Convergence in Diversity' is the guiding principle for any contemporary political action. However, we must be wary of its conflation with the moral passivity of postmodern discourse.
May 12, 2016
I read this in small chunks, by the local pool, over the course of a particularly lovely summer. It was always a little jarring to immerse myself in Amin's dense, provocative language while happy families splashed a few meters away. In the end though, I think it helped me to parse his words and make sense of his ideas: in a library or quiet sitting room, it would have been easy to lose touch with the material realities he's unpacking and critiquing – and that would have robbed the book of much of its power.
Amin spends most of this book arguing in favour of a new realignment of the global poor and oppressed peoples everywhere. Global hegemony can only be effectively resisted and overturned by a large coalition of diverse interests: divisions among progressives only serves the interests of oligarchs and cultural imperialists. His arguments draw from a lifetime's work as a Marxian economist and make for compelling reading.
“Political Islam in the Service of Imperialism” is included in the book and while I felt a bit of a thematic hiccup when I transitioned into this essay, I am glad he included it here. It's a powerful critique of a particular brand of capitalist realpolitik which tries to cloak itself in the mantle of religious righteousness. While his target here is imperialist strains of Islam, it could easily apply to North American evangelicals as well.
The World We Wish to See is an excellent introduction to Amin's work and is highly recommended to anyone with an interest in economics, Marxism and the struggle of the global poor and disenfranchised.
March 11, 2024
Bagi Samir Amin, sebagai pengagum utama KAA Bandung 1955, Internasionalisme Kelima adalah keniscayaan. Ketimpangan ekonomi dan ketidakadilan sosial yang dialami negara periferi di seluruh dunia menjadi bukti pentingnya semua korban pembangunan neoliberalisme untuk bersekutu.
Di mata ekonom Marxist asal Mesir yang baru wafat enam tahun lalu, menghargai prinsip keberagaman dalam internasionalisme tak boleh menutup mata terhadap praktik konservatisme religius karena justru kerap mendukung proyek neoliberal. Amin menyebutnya dengan “tentara gerakan sosial reaksioner”—seperti Islam politik, Hinduisme, Buddhisme, dan lainnya.
Jika semua agama pada akhirnya harus merapatkan barisan bersama, “teologi pembebasan”—yang merebak sejak 1960an di Amerika Latin—adalah jalan kuncinya. “Teologi pembebasan memberikan bukti yang tidak dapat dibantah bahwa percaya pada Tuhan artinya memisahkan ibadah dari pemberian dukungan terhadap orde sosial yang tidak adil, jangan seperti yang dilakukan penganut religius konservatif,” kata Amin.
Menarik bagaimana Amin menjadi salah satu pemikir yang memberikan sejumlah usulan progresif dalam draf Bamako Declaration dari negara-negara Afrika yang jadi korban imperialisme, salah satunya dengan membentuk pengadilan untuk kejahatan lingkungan. Menurut Amin, “utang ekologi” negara-negara utara ke selatan sudah terlalu banyak. Perlu juga perbanyak pembentukan serikat pekerja lintas negara periferi untuk menangkal jahatnya korporasi multinasional. Sayang, semua usulan itu tak masuk dalam deklarasi.
Jika jadi dia, tentu saja saya akan emosi karena, serupa dengan salah satu kutipan Amin: “Solidaritas rakyat dunia tidak bisa didasarkan pada kemurahan hati, tetapi pada aksi bersama melawan kapitalisme.”
Di mata ekonom Marxist asal Mesir yang baru wafat enam tahun lalu, menghargai prinsip keberagaman dalam internasionalisme tak boleh menutup mata terhadap praktik konservatisme religius karena justru kerap mendukung proyek neoliberal. Amin menyebutnya dengan “tentara gerakan sosial reaksioner”—seperti Islam politik, Hinduisme, Buddhisme, dan lainnya.
Jika semua agama pada akhirnya harus merapatkan barisan bersama, “teologi pembebasan”—yang merebak sejak 1960an di Amerika Latin—adalah jalan kuncinya. “Teologi pembebasan memberikan bukti yang tidak dapat dibantah bahwa percaya pada Tuhan artinya memisahkan ibadah dari pemberian dukungan terhadap orde sosial yang tidak adil, jangan seperti yang dilakukan penganut religius konservatif,” kata Amin.
Menarik bagaimana Amin menjadi salah satu pemikir yang memberikan sejumlah usulan progresif dalam draf Bamako Declaration dari negara-negara Afrika yang jadi korban imperialisme, salah satunya dengan membentuk pengadilan untuk kejahatan lingkungan. Menurut Amin, “utang ekologi” negara-negara utara ke selatan sudah terlalu banyak. Perlu juga perbanyak pembentukan serikat pekerja lintas negara periferi untuk menangkal jahatnya korporasi multinasional. Sayang, semua usulan itu tak masuk dalam deklarasi.
Jika jadi dia, tentu saja saya akan emosi karena, serupa dengan salah satu kutipan Amin: “Solidaritas rakyat dunia tidak bisa didasarkan pada kemurahan hati, tetapi pada aksi bersama melawan kapitalisme.”
February 21, 2025
A good read written in the spirit of the First International calling for those who want to work together to construct convergence in diversity: socialism conceived as the product of the movement, rather than being deduced from a preliminary definition. This requires defining and formulating the theoretical concepts concerning the society that it is desiring to build, but does rule out that one of them should be given a monopoly over defining the correct line and steps of the transition
Three major objectives are required: 1. Defeating liberalism at all costs, 2. Defeating the plan for military control of the planet by the USA and NATO, 3. Defeat in Europe the liberal and Atlanticist conceptions forming the foundations of EU institutions
The appendix was particularly illuminating on political Islam constructed in the service of imperialism, concretely analysing the frontline countries of Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine and Iran
Three major objectives are required: 1. Defeating liberalism at all costs, 2. Defeating the plan for military control of the planet by the USA and NATO, 3. Defeat in Europe the liberal and Atlanticist conceptions forming the foundations of EU institutions
The appendix was particularly illuminating on political Islam constructed in the service of imperialism, concretely analysing the frontline countries of Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine and Iran
June 7, 2023
“Progressive forces must re-appropriate the concept of democracy because an alternative, socialist society must be completely democratic. Democracy is not decreed from above. It is a process of cultural transformation because people transform themselves through their own activities.”
October 31, 2019
This wasn’t a bad book, and had many insightful matters in it. I just personally didn’t enjoy my time reading it
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April 1, 2021really inspiring and comprehensive look on what principals and actions are needed to build a new socialist world
Want to read
June 10, 2021Its a nice story
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews