The Last Word
These articles sketch a world map of cluttered topography. The territorial lines of countries wrestle for presence alongside the contours of the NGO and the corporation, the pioneering individual and the shady businessperson.
At its core, the “private realm” is the individual- a status often ascribed little to no influence (politics, as they say, is the business of groups). Yet many in this edition dispel such monochrome readings. Joel Wing-Lun showcases the power of the academic as an interpreter and presenter of reality. Meanwhile, Catrina Yu discusses how a daughter’s text on the correcting habits of her mother can expose the insecurities of a (potentially) declining superpower. Elizabeth Beyer elaborates on the a new brand of individual actor: the social entrepreneur- impelled to development like an aid-worker, yet interested to do so through the logic of profit.
Many of these articles argue for a more nuanced approach to profit. Nadia Surtees’ discussion on the “bottom of the pyramid” reworks the notion of private vice serving a public function. She cites CavinCare which has both received profits and improved communal hygiene practices. Ben Brooks’ assessment of the private sector in space reminds us that, even as the space shuttle program retires, human endeavours in this frontier will continue- driven not by great-power pride but by the profit impulse. Nicholas Findlater explores how the “new” car industry is factoring a number of “ethical, environmental and social considerations into their strategies and operations.” A healthy cynicism runs through these works, but a well-founded, if tempered, optimism eventually shines through.
It would be quick and incomplete analysis that converts such insights into the conclusion that the state is dead. Rather, a common thread is an awareness for the tango of the public and private. Sharangan Maheswaran and Lewis Hamilton note that: “The immense size of the third sector in Kenya means that it is, in a sense, a form of government”. Less optimistically David Orders asserts that “warehouses full of cocoa” may be as powerful a catalyst (if not more so) than the Responsibility to Protect. Isabelle Whitehead’s work shows how international relations is complicated through the formation of uneasy public-private partnerships which are themselves hounded by epistemic communities.
For many, the state remains key. Lawrence Muskitta’s analysis of the fourth-estate’s mendacity advocates for well-apportioned state regulation. Such considerations likewise inform John Fennel’s discussion of efforts to mitigate global money laundering- a shadier side of the private sector’s international presence. Lindsey Gumley and William Thomas’s piece on bees and food occurs through the lens of national security, and solutions are conveyed through the machinery of the state. Mike Safi’s photo essay captures the moments before a state fights its people; while Gerard McCarthy’s correspondence shows the moments before a people create their state.
The map is chaotic. The lines of countries are not sufficient, but neither does it do to erase them. Oh, you’ve also got to draw the occasional portrait.
Dominic Dietrich, Deputy Editor-in-Chief
