Performance: Le Train Bleu, conducted by Ransom Wilson.

Lucy Dhegrae, soprano

David Southorn violin 1, Owen Dalby violin 2, Margaret Dyer viola, Mihai Marica cello, Tony Flynt double bass.

Chris Matthews flute, Carl Oswald oboe, Alexey Gorokholinskiy clarinet, Brad Balliett bassoon

Hugo Moreno trumpet, Jennifer Griggs trombone

David Kaplan piano

Recorded 2/2/2012 KAS Studios, Astoria NY

Text: (Policy Planning Staff document 23):  (Bold portions only).

Furthermore, we have about 50% of the world’s wealth but only 6.3% of its population. This disparity is particularly great as between ourselves and the peoples of Asia. In this situation, we cannot fail to be the object of envy and resentment. Our real task in the coming period is to devise a pattern of relationships which will permit us to maintain this position of disparity without positive detriment to our national security. To do so, we will have to dispense with all sentimentality and day-dreaming; .  .  .

We should dispense with the aspiration to “be liked” or to be regarded as the repository of a high-minded international altruism . . . We should cease to talk about vague and—for the Far East—unreal objectives such as human rights, the raising of the living standards, and democratization. The day is not far off when we are going to have to deal in straight power concepts. The less we are then hampered by idealistic slogans, the better.

 Video here.

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by Noam Chomsky, historians Rick Perlstein, Greg Grandin, Andrew Hartman, and Seth Ackerman here.