In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

ix FOREWORD THE NEW WORLD ORDER IDEOLOGY CAUGHT IN THE MATRIX The New World Order ideology is an epistemic strategy that has been crucial for western global designs to enjoy ambiguity, deceive and recapture the world and fashion it in its own image. Historically, by hiding the location of the subject of enunciation, European/Euro-American colonial expansion and domination was able to construct a hierarchy of superior and inferior knowledge and, thus, of superior and inferior people around the world. This historic trend started from the 16th century characterization of “people without writing” to the 18th and 19th century characterization of “people without history”, to the 20th century characterization of “people without development” and more recently, to the early 21st century of “people without democracy”. Indeed, the ideological hegemonic project went from the 16th century “rights of people” (Sepulveda versus de las Casas debate in the school of Salamanca in the mid-sixteenth century), to the 18th century “rights of man” (Enlightenment philosophers), and to the late 20th century “human rights”. All of these are part of ideological global designs articulated to the simultaneous production and reproduction of an international division of labor into core/periphery that overlaps with the global racial/ethnic hierarchy of Europeans/non-Europeans like Africans. And this trajectory explains why political debate in the mainstream in Western capitals increasingly resembles the dystopian vision encapsulated in the film the Matrix. Here the reality of human bondage is disguised by a sophisticated virtual reality - the matrix - from which it is difficult to break free. In matrix world the ideology of neoliberal globalization had, and may still have, promises for democracy and development for Africa. In the real African world it did not. And, it does not either. In matrix world there were links between neoliberalism, development, and democracy. In the real world there were not. And, there will be none. In matrix world Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan were respected leaders who produced an ideology of salvation for the world at large. In the real world the ideology was a whitewash. In matrix world anti-neoliberal crusaders are deeply irresponsible for breaching trust and denying their people development and democracy. In the real world they blew the whistle on illegal and immoral official World Order behavior. To many people who have witnessed the lies and deception of the past couple of decades, most African leaders seem deranged. They and their cliques seem to have a tenuous grip on reality. How can it be - people x wonder - that they can go on and on and on about neoliberal policies when even the Western powers have concluded that the ideology is no guarantee of development and democracy? How can they appear to take so seriously statements that most of us now know are built on foundations no more secure than the shifting sands of the Sahara and Kalahari deserts which they no longer even pretend to search? The attack on development and democracy in Africa has revealed as never before the yawning gulf between the political elite and the rest of the people in the continent. It discloses an increasing separation between ‘matrix world’ - where official pronouncements are treated with some seriousness, even if subject to criticism - and ‘real world’ where their lies are seen through and their crimes recognized. Matrix world and real world exist in a kind of parallel universe. But the matrix is not entirely hermetically sealed from the real world. Every so often the distance between the two becomes too great and the matrix has to readjust. In the film itself this is denoted by a glitch in the matrix where the character played by Keanu Reeves sees the same black cat twice within seconds. Take the case of Ghana. After Ghana had finished privatizing the matrix appeared to be performing its work. The government was cleared of impropriety and the dissenters damned. The country’s leaders appeared almost immediately in the House of Representatives their faces split by a victorious grin. But reality was just too efficient and the real world started to crash in to the edges of the matrix. Within hours the relief was gone and even key sections of matrix world were able to show their disbelief. The next day’s water bills for the common man cleared the front page of newspapers screaming the single word ‘Whitewash’. Key allies of misguided leaders regretfully tried to recuperate the defeat for the matrix; ‘It was as if we won a football...

Share