Alexander Tuboltsev Source: Al Mayadeen English
Centuries ago, al-Farabi warned of two paths: the “virtuous city” built on justice, and the “ignorant city” driven by power and greed. Today, his ideas feel more relevant than ever.
Abu Nasr al-Farabi, the famous scientist and philosopher of the 9th - 10th centuries, analyzed different types of societies in his treatises in detail. He considered aspects of city life (as a social and political phenomenon) and interpreted the city not just as a settlement, but also as an association of individuals, a political organism with common goals.
Of course, al-Farabi considered a «virtuous city» to be the ideal type, whose population strives to achieve happiness and adheres to moderation and high moral values. Such a society is based on the values of justice, cooperation between residents, and mutual assistance. Accordingly, the ruler of a «virtuous city», according to al-Farabi's concept, must possess high moral qualities, wisdom, and an understanding of justice.
In addition, the philosopher mentioned the existence of the opposite type of society, which he called the "ignorant city". Such cities, in turn, were divided into several different types. Their common feature was that instead of striving for universal happiness, their rulers pursued vicious goals.
Such "ignorant rulers" were described in al-Farabi's treatises as striving for power and profit, driven by ambition, greed, and cruelty, committing evil deeds, and encouraging the spread of the worst qualities within society itself. The philosopher very accurately noted that the bad temper of such rulers negatively affects the entire society, just as a disease negatively affects the body.
All the negative traits of the leaders described in al-Farabi's writings (excessive ambition, greed, depravity, aggressiveness, love of power, vanity) are noticeable in the words and deeds of the American ruling establishment. If we rely on the concept of al-Farabi, then we can conclude that Trump is a modern example of a bad ruler, gripped by maniacal aggression, hypocrisy, arrogance, and greed. Such a ruler creates only chaos and injustice, poisoning society with his inadequate and sinister ideas and actions. As is known from history, such egocentric and evil rulers, from Nimrod to the present day, often led themselves to fall by their own actions, making strategic mistakes and ignoring them because of their arrogance.
One of the significant ideas of al-Farabi's philosophy is the concept of moderation, the "golden mean". And this was understood not just as a kind of "average" behavior, free from excesses, but also as the ability to lead a virtuous lifestyle, improve oneself, and strive to develop one's own moral qualities. Moreover, this concept has been applied equally to individuals and to entire societies.
Empires (like their rulers) are a priori devoid of such moderation, the "golden mean". Imperial self-awareness requires endless expansion, the seizure of new resources and territories, the appropriation of new colonies, and the redirection of new financial flows to the metropolis. It was the greedy desire for power, money, and luxury goods that characterized the process of the rebirth of the feudal medieval states of Europe into colonial empires. The political elites of the empires quickly turned into the most corrupt strata, isolated from the majority of the population, gripped by nepotism and belief in their own exclusivity.
Imperial elites can invent any myths to substantiate their claims to exclusivity. They can manipulate political structures and convince others of their "special values", but this does not change the essence. When al-Farabi wrote many centuries ago about the ambitions and thirst for power of ignorant rulers, he very accurately formulated that their actions are based on a thirst for power, higher social status (honors, titles, etc.), and resources (money, territories, other symbols and objects of wealth). This is a very accurate description of our day. Using the example of American neocolonialism, we see that the American establishment has no other values than the thirst for wealth and power. Everything else is just a political mimicry designed to hide the fact that an oligarchic clique has long been formed behind the facade of "democracy" in the United States, in which transnational capital plays the first fiddle.
When an empire enters a crisis, the psychology of its elites can take the form of insane, hypertrophied, and inadequate reactions. The old mechanisms of influence and control are being lost, the space for expansion is narrowing, and the elites are falling into a kind of psychological turbulence. A striking historical example of this is the behavior of the Roman Emperor Honorius. At a time when the Western Roman Empire was experiencing a crisis (economic problems, weakening control over borders, internal uprisings, conflict with the Visigoths), Honorius made decisions that could be described as completely irrational. He executed his best commander, Stilicho, staged repressions against his own entourage, tried to change the capital, and disrupted negotiations with the Visigoths, which eventually led to the capture and looting of Rome. Honorius' reaction to the political events around him was ineffective and inadequate, but in a broad sense it reflected the deepest psychological crisis of all Roman elites provoked by the economic and political weakening of the empire. This is just one vivid example of such a phenomenon, and there are dozens of similar examples in history.
The combination of the actions of an "ignorant ruler" (in the classical interpretation described by al-Farabi) with external factors (military conflicts, global economic turbulence), internal factors (erosion of political institutions, social and economic problems), and a psychological crisis within the establishment leads, in my opinion, to a phase in which the imperial elites are gradually losing control is weakening and starting to act more chaotically and less rationally in the international arena, making strategic mistakes.
If we consider "Trumpism" (as one of the most aggressive and expansionist forms of modern American imperialism) from this point of view, we will see that the pretentious slogans, self-aggrandizement, bragging, and provocative rhetoric of the current American political elite hide a deep fear of the end of their unipolar hegemony. Behind their overblown self-confidence and arrogance lies a hidden fear that their neo-colonial rule will come to an end sooner or later. For decades, the American establishment has sought to intimidate other countries in order to subjugate them, take away their resources, and deprive them of their sovereign will. And one of the key fears of the rulers of the United States was and remains that someone would find the determination not only to stop being afraid of America, but also to directly oppose its expansionist aspirations.
By fighting against American-Zionist aggression, the Islamic Republic of Iran has crushed the myth of the "invulnerability" of American military bases abroad. US military installations were hit by powerful retaliatory strikes, and the American army suffered losses in the form of destroyed aircraft, drones, and expensive radars. This is an unprecedented case in modern history, when such powerful, large-scale, and precise strikes became a step against an American attack. The attempts of the United States and the Zionist regime to publicly hide their losses prove that the aggressors have suffered great damage. Iran has shown that it is ready to fight for its sovereignty and has no fear.
And in my opinion, there is not only a geopolitical dimension to the unfolding situation, but also, of course, an ideological one. We can clearly see what the hegemony of the United States is. It is an ocean of darkness that has been spreading across the planet for decades, relying on coercion, economic dictate, and neocolonial exploitation. This is the realm of the dollar, where the upper establishment has drowned in vices and greed, trying to blunt the sense of fear due to its inevitable collapse. This is a political chimera generated by the intertwining interests of multinational corporations, the upper political class, and lobby groups. It is a conglomerate of political manipulators who use slogans and promises to deceive their own people.
There are also completely opposite values based on virtue, dedication, valor, protection of the oppressed, and the struggle against imperialism. These are the values of Resistance, which are the real hope for the oppressed peoples from Africa and Asia to Latin America. The Islamic Republic of Iran demonstrates a vivid and firm commitment to these values and embodies the practical realization of the principle of justice, retaliating against aggressors.
Here, it is appropriate to recall again the dichotomy outlined by al-Farabi, in which a virtuous political system and an ignorant political system (based on cruel lust for power and excessive ambition) are opposed to each other. These are two different poles, and it is obvious to every reasonable person that the battle between them is important for the entire civilization. For every consistent supporter of anti-imperialism, anti-colonialism, and multipolarity, the choice is obvious: full support for the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is bravely defending its independence, sovereignty, principles of justice, and the great legacy of the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Among all the countries in the world, it is Iran that is now directly fighting against the evil American imperialism and bloodthirsty Zionism. This is a revolutionary act on a global scale, and I am sure that it will greatly influence the course of modern history. The just principles that Iran defends will become a model for residents, intellectuals, and anti-imperialist movements around the world.
The very concept of Resistance at the present stage has both an intellectual and a practical dimension. This is both a powerful ideology that is understandable to people all over the world, and a practical struggle against American-Zionist aggression. Here we can see the philosophical principle of the unity of knowledge and action, which was confirmed in various formulations by thinkers of the past centuries of different nations, from al-Farabi to the Chinese neo-Confucian philosopher Wang Yangming. This principle can be summarized by the following example: knowledge is invalid if there are no practical actions to implement it. Conversely, knowledge acquires its true great significance precisely when it is put into practice. The Resistance in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen, as well as Iran's courageous response to the American-Zionist aggressors, proved that Resistance is a combination of theory and practice, ideology and struggle.
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