ABSTRACT
A binary of “Self” vs “Other” besets world politics, producing violence for all.1 This binary convinces the Self that it has no option but to issue an ultimatum to the Other: convert or face discipline.2 Under today’s neoliberal imperium, conversion comes in the form of “liberalization,” “democratization,” “regime change,” or “nation building.” Discipline sometimes means outright military action. The latter may ensue even when the former succeeds.3 Many who identify with the Other are, accordingly, fed up. They retaliate in kind, and this usually involves violence in a world already saturated with it.4 Those who sympathize with the Self, in turn, seek more law and order, control and predictability. Efforts to convert / discipline the Other intensify and the cycle continues.
