I’m fascinated by the history of ideas and ideologies, and no ideology has captivated me quite like neoliberalism. In our secular era, ideologies, like neoliberalism, with its admonishment that there is no alternative, take on articles of faith. Indeed, neoliberalism’s technocrats, market fundamentalists, and liberal authoritarians have all the trappings of religious deities.

Similar to the study of religions the best way to examine the history of ideas and ideologies is by reading source documents, articles and books. A lot of reading. The internet makes sleuthing far easier than poring over dusty religious manuscripts in the catacombs.

Thanks to the erudite and prolific Alastair Crooke, I have new insights into neoliberalism. “In 1970, Zbig Brzezinski (who was to become National Security Adviser to President Carter) published a book entitled: Between Two Ages: America’s Role in the Technetronic Era.

In it, Brzezinski wrote: “The technetronic era involves the gradual appearance of a more controlled society. Such a society…dominated by an élite, unrestrained by traditional values…[and practicing] continuous surveillance over every citizen … [together with] manipulation of the behavior and intellectual functioning of all people … [would become the new norm].”

Sound familiar?

Brzezinski further argued that “the nation-state as a fundamental unit of man’s organized life has ceased to be the principal creative force: International banks and multinational corporations are acting and planning in terms that are far in advance of the political concepts of the nation-state”. 

David Rockefeller and the rest of the Trilateral Commission, a loose confederation of national security and financial elite, seized on Brzezinski’s insight to represent the third leg to ensuring the hegemony of the American empire. The other two legs were control of oil resources and dollar supremacy.

And, here we are. What Brzezinski, Rockefeller and the rest of the technocratic neoliberal elite plotted has become our reality, and average citizens are not thrilled about it. (See Brexit, Trump’s surprise 2016 election, the rise of the “populist Right” the Yellow Vests, and the latest European election results, etc.)

Kind of how the average Catholic wasn’t all that thrilled about the Spanish Inquisition.

Brzezinski’s book, a valuable source document, confirms the basic dishonesty of neoliberalism’s promise. Neoliberalism has been disastrous for America’s political economy, as austerity, privatization, and deregulation have led to crippling wealth and political inequality. More insidious though equally damaging, neoliberalism has also created a sort of cultural sickness; hyper-individualism and the ever-present narratives of deservedness, productivity, and merit have infiltrated our psyches, warping our sense of self, how we view others, and how we move through the world. It’s no surprise that we are facing loneliness and suicide epidemics, that overwork and burnout are commonplace, and that our society has become atomized.

 Brzezinski’s, Between Two Ages, like Lewis Powell’s infamous Memo, provides a clear window into elite thinking. After the turmoil of the 60’s with multiple demands for democratic participation there was a “crisis of democracy”. These documents demonstrate that democracy was for the oligarchy and freedom was to be reserved for capital.