Apocalypse Now for Capitalism?

Capitalism in an apocalyptic mood

The current global financial crisis is symptomatic of a capitalist growth model driven by financial speculation that is disconnected from the stagnant real economy, argues Walden Bello.

An apocalyptic mood has seized the highest levels of global capital as the global financial system continues to implode. This implosion is but the latest financial crisis to wrack global capitalism. Financial crises are inevitable since capitalist growth has increasingly been driven by speculative bubbles such as the housing bubble in the United States. The increasingly uncontrolled financial gyrations stem from the increasing divergence between an expansive financial economy and a stagnant real economy. This "disconnect" stems from the persistent stagnationist trends in the real economy owing to overproduction or overcapacity. The search for profitability is capitalism's driving force, and increasingly, significant profits can only be obtained from financial speculation rather than investment in industry. This is, however, a volatile and unstable process since the divergence between momentary financial indicators like stock and real estate prices and real values can proceed only up to a point before reality bites back and enforces a "correction." The bursting of the US housing bubble is one such correction, and it is leading not only to a recession in the US but to a global downturn owing to the unprecedented level of integration fostered by corporate-led globalization. It will not be easy to restore dynamism by fostering another speculative bubble, for instance, by resorting to "military Keynesianism."...