It is not only Bangladesh—capitalism is running rampant across the globe. Its character today is laid bare: ruthless, unapologetically fascist. Everywhere one looks, conservative excesses dominate, in ways unseen before. Leaders invoke the banner of “national interest” only to tighten their own grip on power. Even in “democratic” America, all authority is concentrated in the hands of a single man. Donald Trump issues commands at will, and they are dutifully carried out. In Washington itself, the homeless shelter in tents, yet Trump has arranged their eviction. Ironically, Trump himself is of foreign descent—his lineage traces back to Europe. Yet he champions policies of expelling foreigners from America. In Italy, Mussolini’s party men hold power. In Germany, the Nazis have resurged. In England, the Labour Party has donned a bourgeois character. Meanwhile, Israel’s Zionist leader Netanyahu slaughters Palestinians in much the same way that German nationalists once slaughtered Jews. Hitler’s massacre was temporary; Netanyahu’s slaughter grinds on, year after year.
In earlier times such events provoked outrage. Today, protests are faint and fragmented—for three reasons. First, much of the media deliberately confuses truth with falsehood. Second, people everywhere are consumed by their own struggles: the rich chase further riches while the poor fight simply to survive, leaving little scope to stand against injustice. Third, dissenters face persecution, not only silencing but systematic attempts to break their spirit. For these reasons, conservatives continue to win elections.
Capitalist nationalists are now engaged in nothing short of genocide. Some wars kill directly—fomented conflicts, arms sales, orchestrated bloodshed. Others unfold indirectly through drugs, weapons supply, and above all, the ongoing climate catastrophe. Nature is treated as raw material and dumping ground for development. In return, it strikes back with cyclones, floods, droughts, heatwaves, epidemics. Air, water, soil, sky—all poisoned.
Yet capitalism breeds its own quarrels. Trump and Musk’s friendship collapses. Putin and Trump’s bond snaps. Modi and Trump’s embraces sour into shoves. But these rifts are family quarrels—when it comes to oppressing working people, rulers stand united. Netanyahu and Modi cling together; it becomes impossible to tell who is iron and who is magnet.
Nationalism in their hands turns aggressive, oppressive. Yet nations are not false constructs. Like flowers in a garden, human diversity must be preserved; otherwise the world becomes a jungle. And language is the chief marker of nationhood. A person may speak many tongues, but identity lies in the mother tongue. Across India, Bengalis of West Bengal resist Hindi dominance with songs of “Bangla” and the celebration of 21 February. In Assam too, protests erupt against the marginalisation of Bengali. Even West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee—long tarnished by corruption and repression—now clings to Bengali nationalism to recover lost popularity. History’s irony: her predecessors once fought to split Bengal in service of Brahminical power, yet today the subcontinent itself reveals its nature—not one nation, not two, but many. A miniature Europe.
Bangladesh too is governed by nationalism. Once it was Pakistani nationalism, later Bengali nationalism. Every ruler since has styled themselves as nationalist, and those to come will no doubt do the same—though always within a capitalist framework. Even the opposition lays claim to it. The July–August uprising of 2024, hailed by some as a revolution, did not place power in the people’s hands. That remains a dream. Real revolution, social revolution, has yet to arrive.
Meanwhile, Israel stands as the world’s most odious state power. Its barbarities are condemned globally, even within Israel. Soldiers refuse to return from leave. Suicide rates climb. Yet the nationalist prime minister remains unmoved, hand itching for further killing—especially of women, children, and even journalists. In just one day, seven journalists were slain in Palestine, five of them from Al Jazeera. In less than two years, 200 journalists have been killed. The cause is the same: the growing brutality of capitalism.
Elon Musk recently declared Trump “the most notorious criminal in Washington.” Yet not long ago, the two were closest friends. This is capitalism’s true nature: allies one moment, enemies the next.
The author is Emeritus Professor, University of Dhaka
