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Underground > Temple >

Was Victoria invoked?

09:01 / 24.03.03

Looking at the Iraq war, the evidence seems to point that this is good old classic Imperialism of the British Empire variety. It's about going into a hostile country, conquoring it, establishing a colonial Government (though we don't call it that, anymore), and exploiting the resources of that land (in this case, oil) for the Empire's benefit. The participants are even classic Empire. Except for Turkey, what do all the participants have in common? We have the Brits, of course, the US, some of the Commonwealth, Jordan quietly assisting, Israel involved somewhere, Kuwait, even Iraq itself... They were all, at one time, part of the British Empire. This made me remember a comment I made after 9/11...

When various moderate Arabs were being interviewed, such as Palestinians, they expressed their condemnation of the attacks, but said the West needed to understand what motivated them, why they happened. They brought up Israel, of course. They said that the West had the power to enforce peace and stability in the region, and needed to use it. Naturally, they were referring to Israel, specifically, but there was something they didn't think of...

At one time, the West DID use it's power in the Middle East. They enforced peace and stability. They did everything the Palestinians were saying they needed to do, everything they supposedly should have done to not provoke more terrorist attacks. It was called the British Empire.

What they weren't thinking of was that it wouldn't just be Israel that would have "peace and stability" enforced on them, if the Western powers actually did what they were calling for. I said at the time "They need to be careful what they're asking for. They're calling for the return of Victoria. They're invoking her".

Now, a year and a half later, look where we are. We're seeing everything Victoria was the icon of, all she represented, in action. The British Empire has returned (though one of the colonies has a LOT more influence than it used to), and just in time for Victoria's great great granddaughter's Golden Jubilee. It seems the Palestinians accidentally DID invoke Victoria. Or, maybe I accidentally did it by saying she was being invoked out loud. If so... Oops. Sorry about that

E

15:22 / 24.03.03

What other things not directly related to the war in Iraq would be evidence that Victoria Regina is at large?

15:31 / 24.03.03

If any historical spirit is being invoked, I'd say it was Rudyard Kipling: the theorist and apologist for the concept of British Empire, yes, but always from a moral, humanitarian angle (as he saw it, anyway) rather than from power-for-power's-sake—The White Man's Burden and all that, arguing that it is the obligation of the sole superpower to uplift our brown brethren, pore benighted 'eathens wot they are.

16:33 / 24.03.03

... perhaps coupled with a bit of nabobbery on the part of some military and oil interests?

Can I caution against regarding the British Empire as a static entity? It existed for several centuries and changed considerably over that period, and by the time Victoria was on the throne the Americans have been well out of it for half a century. As for invoking Victoria, I agree with Jack that it sounds more like Kipling - Victoria herself was a pig-headed woman who was primarily concerned with her family and domestic interests, especially after the death of the Prince Consort, and I don't think she would be in the slightest bit amused at being invoked for this sort of thing...

23:59 / 24.03.03

But, what Kipling did was shape the more romantic view of the Imperialistic era that Victoria was the figurehead, and therefore symbol, of. Kipling gave British Imperialism, particularly the Victorian Era variety, a humanitarian slant, making exercising that power the morally right thing to do (from that viewpoint), in a way that the Brits benefitted materially. This isn't about the actual woman, but what she symbolized, the Era named for her.

That's exactly the view that's being taken by those in charge today. I think Bush and Blair really believe they're doing the right thing for the people of the Middle East, and that Britian and it's old colonies will benefit, financially. This is completely Kipling's romantic view of the British Empire during the Victorian Era.

As for the highly influential former colony in question, the apple really never fell far from the tree. The US has maintained the English language, culture, and increasingly, classic world view. A country that's never been an Empire (unless you count Joshua Norton) is practicing Imperialism, anyway. Where did we pick THAT tendency up? The British Empire is no longer officially an Empire, but it's culture is still dominant, still the primary superpower in the world. It's like how some argue that Rome never really fell, just continued as the Catholic Church.

E