Fairytales
Back at work, and over breakfast enjoyed this article from John Gray, discussing the inability of the West to recognise that the relationship between it and Russia has changed, and the part played by a particular story in confirming that delusion. The story he has in mind he calls the “progressive narrative”, and he details some of the ways in which certain assumptions – that a nation’s increased economic wellbeing leads inexorably to liberal, or neoliberal, values being reflected in policy, for one – have blinded those thinking about international relations in the West to the reality of Russian nationalism and success: far from being a new Cold War, this is a resurrection of the Great Game.
He makes a good case, as you might expect, but rather than examine the strengths or otherwise of his argument I thought the article was a good reminder for those of us who are trying to think clearly about future events of the importance of avoiding the temptation to imagine that today is somehow more special than yesterday. Many of the images of different futures that we’ve encountered so far have underlying them certain stories that, if left unchallenged, might lead us to entertain mistaken ideas of the world. Millennial ideas of the ‘new economy’ or the ‘knowledge society’, for example, despite being challenged or rejected by many economists and sociologists, continue to inform contemporary discussion about likely changes in society; despite warnings of resource depletion, ‘technology’ will play an ever-increasing role in bringing about these changes; despite the kind of evidence highlighted by Gray, these changes will lead to ever-more progressive nation states and a global set of values and norms enshrined in an international law that is respected across every continent.
It’s a lovely story, and one I personally find very appealing. But it’s increasingly being shown to be outdated. If we’re trying to foster what Gray calls a “capacity for realistic thinking”, perhaps it’s a good idea to look harder for the hidden narratives that shape our ideas of the world, and be ready to throw them away when they’re shown to be unhelpful. Living in the present doesn’t make us exceptional. Sometimes history is a better source of clarity than present-day claims that this time is different.
