MULTITUDE WAR AND DEMOCRACY IN THE AGE OF EMPIRE MICHAEL HARDT ANTONIO NEGRIih © Mita Ht an An eg 04 ‘ieee Mende mn ene he gf ge ltd ge ‘Shae mera tn" a casa et Sen Pally Mei Cag We in he el eS pr he enn bred nd ee em ‘rnc ano orev al tyne tenon ‘Repro se pce ty atcetnahes dopo hep SUSEIN pect neat atoms nets posite nt cpr ma ope ster pr pc CONTENTS Price Life in Common 1. WAR 1.1 Simplicissimus Exceptions Golem ‘The Global State of War Biopower and Security Legitimate Violence Samuel Huntington, Gebeimrst 1.2 Counterinsurgencies Birch ofthe New WarRevolution in Miliary Altes The Mercenary and the Patriot ‘Asymmery and Full-Spectum Dominance 1.3 Resistance The Primacy of Ressance From the People's Army to Guerilla Waite Taventing Network Struggles Swerm Intelligence From Biopower to Biopoitical Production - MULTITUDE 2.1 Dangerous Classes The Becoming Common of Labor The Twiligh of the Peasant Work Tow lealians in India ‘The Wealth ofthe Poor (or, We Are the Poot!) Demonic Muliodes: Dosayeriky ‘Reads the Bible ‘Buna I: Meth: Mare Fee Death ofthe Dial Sens? 8 2.2 De Corpore Global Apartheid ATalp 0 Davos Big Government Ie Back Life on the Marker 2.3 Traces ofthe Multitude The Monseosty of the Flesh Invasion of the Monsters Production of the Common Beyond Private and Public Carnival and Movement Mobilisation of the Common sewn 2: Organization Maldon the Lf 3. DEMOCRACY 8.1 The Long March of Democracy Cass of Democracy inthe Era of [Armed Globalization The Unfinished Democratic Projet of Modsenicy Debror Rebellion“The Unrealized Democracy of Socialism Revolt Berlin 1953, From Democratic Representation to Global Public Opinion White Over {3.2 Global Demands for Democracy Cahiers de doléances Convergence i Settle Experiments in Global Refoctn Back co the Eightcenth Century! acura 3: Sra: Geplic ondNew Alia 3.3 Democracy ofthe Multitude Sovercignry and Democracy May the Force Be with You “The New Science of Democracy: Madison and Lenin Ides PREFACE: LIFE IN COMMON The posiility of democracy ona global sae is emerging today For he ‘vty fist cme, This book i about chat posi, about wht we cll he project of the multitude. The projec of the mulétude not ony express the dese fora weed of equaly and freedom, no only demands 2n open and incusve democratic gba society, but aso provides the meas for 2chicrng it. Thais how our book will end, baie cannr begin thee. ‘Today the posibiliy of democracy isobutane threatened by the seemingly permanent sate of confi aro the world, Our book must bein wih chis sate of war. Democracy, i ue, emined an incom= pete projecs throughout rhe modern eri ales natonal and local forms, and certainly the proceses of globalization in recent decades have added new challenges, bu the primary obstacle 1 democracy is the global tate ‘of war, In our ea of atmed globalization, the mode dre of democ- racy may sem 0 have Been definively las. War has ahays bee incot- pusile with democracy. Teadtonally, democracy has been suspended uring wartime and power encrsed tempor 1 3 song cetal au thority to conftont the crs. Beesuse the cutene sate of war i both ‘ba in scale and long lasting with no end in ight, the suspension ofPREFACE: LIFE IN COMMON democracy too becomes indice or even pemanen. Wa akesonagen- eralized character, sanging al social Ie and posing its own peal ‘onde. Democrary thus appears to be evel ieteabl, buried deep be- neath the weapons and security regimes of er constane sat of confi. Yer never has demecraey been mre neces No ah path wil po vide way out of dhe fear, ieacariy, and domination that permeates out world at war; no oer pach will ead ws oa peel if in common, “This bok isthe Sequel to our book Empire, which focused on the new faba form of sverige. That bok atempeed einer the deny of global poll order inthe courte of ifm, that co ecgnize how fiom a vary of contemporary process there is emerging & new foxm of global order that we eal Empire. Our pine of departure was the recogition that comtemporary global onder ca no longer be understood xlquael in erms of imperialism at wat pacts by the modern pow «rs based primatiy on the sovereignty ofthe nation nate extended oer forcgntetitry Instead “neework power.” anew orm of sovrigy,e now emerging andi includes ast primary cements, a nodes the dom inant nation-states slong wih supranational insions, major capitalist corporations. and other powers. This nerwork power we cam is “impe- fal" no “imperais.” Natal dhe powers in Empire's network, of couse, are equal—on the contr, some nation-states ave enocas power and Sone almost none 2 all and the smi te fr the various othe corpo ‘ations ad insuions that make up the nerwork-—but despite inequal- tics they must cooperate to create and maintain the euren global onde, vith all often divisions and hierarchies, (Our ocon of Empite cus cate diagonally actos the debates hat pose waters and multe or pro-Amerianism and anti-Americanism 2 the onl global poll akernatives On the one hand we argued that fo nation-state, not even the most power ane, not even the United Sas can “go i lane" and maintain global onder withou elaborating wth theater major powers in the neswork of mpi. On the ater hand. ‘ve chimed thatthe contemporary glbal order is noe characterized and PREFACE: LIFE IN COMMON sel In some cass, war metaphors are applisd to farms of competion and relations of force that do not generally involve lethal violence ot oodshed, such as spots, commerce, and domestic pits, In all ofthese ences one has competitors bu neve ely enemies properly conesved Such metaphorical wage serves to highlight the risks, competition, and ‘onfict involved in these various activites, Bu al assumes a Funda mental difrence fom real wa. In other case, the metaphoric dacouse of war isinvoked aa sete poll maneuver in order achieve the ‘wal mobilization of social forces fo a united purpose thi epic of a war effore The war on poverty, for example, ached inthe United States in the mid-1960s by the Johnson administration, used che discourse of wart void partisan conic and rly atonal forces for a domestic pole iy goal. Recase poverty san absest enemy and the meno combat it ane nonviolent, che war dicoure inthis case remains merely rhetorical‘With the war on drugs, however, which hogan in the 1805, and more x9 withthe wey first century war on reso, che thetic of wat begins 'o develop a more concrete chaace. Asin tect of the war on poset ‘ete r00 the enemies ate pose not as specie nation stes epoca ‘comamunitics c even individuals but aher at abst concep or perhaps ss of practices. Much mote succesfully th the wa on poverty. these dlscouss of war serve 1 mobile all social forces and suspend or limit normal poll exchange, And yt these war afe ao 0 metaphorical b> ‘use like war cradionally conceived they ial aed combat and lethal force. In dese wars thet i incresingly lite diference beeen outside and inside, Between foreign confit and homeland security, We ‘have thus proceeded fom metaphorical and rhetoric invocations of wat ‘0 el wars agains indefinite, immaterial ene. (ne consequence ofthis new kind of war ha the iis of war ae ‘rendered indeterminate, both spatially and temporal. The ol fashioned war again x nationtate was erly defined spall, ven iit cold at ‘ims spread to ther counties, and ee end of such 4 war was genetally sarked by the surtender,vcory, or rue brween the conitng sates. By coer, wa guia a concep oe et of practices, somewhat like a War of telgion, has no definite spatial oe empotal boundaries. Such wats can pote extend anywhere fr any period of tine, Indeed, when US. leaders announced the "war agains fron” they emphasaed thet it would havc extend chraughou the woe and continue fa an indefnite Peso, paps decades or even generations. A ato ceate and iain social onder can ave no end. Ie must invare the continuous unmet pred exrcie of power and vileae. In othet words, one cannot win such a wat of rth, ase be won agin everyday, Wa has thas be ‘come vial indisinguishable from ple atv, A second consequence ofthis new sae of wat i chat international - lions and domestic politics become incresingly smi and imei ed Inthe context ofthis cross beweon military and police activity aimed 3 secutty there is eer les difference Berwen inside and outside the nation-state low-intensity warfare mets high-intensity police aesons The “nem” which has rationally ben concsived ouside, andthe “ange ‘us clase,” which have tadonally been ise are thus incesingly in Alsinguishable rom one another and serve together asthe object of che ‘wa elt, We wll focus extensively onthe noon of “dangerous clases” inthe next chapter, bu here we should emphasie thats beng ented ith “the enemy” tends eflecively co criminalize the varios forms of 50> ial contestation and eistanc. In his respect, the concep merging of war and policing poses an obstacle ll forces uf vocal tansormation, Athi consequence erientation ofthe conception of the ies of ‘bate or conditions of enmiy. To the extent that the enemy i absee and unlimited, she alliance of Fend oo i expansive and pore uni ‘eel All of humanity can in pringpl be united agains am abstract co ‘ep or pace such 2 tetova.” should sat be surpuisin, then that the concep of “us war” has emeged agin in he dicourse of poiicians, journalists, and scholars, patil inthe consent of the wat on terror {um andthe various miliary operons conducted in the name of human figs. The concept of justice serves to univenlize wat beyond any patie ar interes toward he itret of humanity a «whole: Modern Ero ‘ein politcal chiakers, we should keepin mind, sughe 0 banish the concept of just war, which had been common choughoue che Middle ‘Ags especialy during the Crusades an the religious wats becase they ‘hovgh ic ended co generalize war beyond its proper scope and confuse t ith other socal ealms, such as moral and religion, Jr de no b= dang the modern concp of wer2 When the soem relist thoes of var came chat war is meas foe pial endfor instance they ine ‘ended nc only wo fink wart intestate polis but lo separate trom oer social realms, such as moray and religion, I is tue that various ber socal eal have offen throughout history been supeimposed on ‘wa, especially in propaganda campstgns, sich that che enemy might be presented as evil or ugly o sexual perverse, but the madetn ther in eed on this Fundamental separation. Wa, they thought, could hus be old ots necessary and ratonal functions The jus” wars ofthe te ewesicth nd cy-venyfse centuries fen catty explicit or impli echoes ofthe ld wars frelon, And the various «concep of ciation confice—the West vers Iam for instance — that animate a suong vin of foreign policy and ienatona eaions theory are never fr removed fromthe old eligous paradigm ofthe watsof teligion Te seems that we are back once asin inthe situation defined by the seveeenth-cemary moro, Cig regs reign that the oe who rules alo determines religous ath—a dangerous and oppressive se ation aginst which ll the great modera movements of cleane stug- ed. Along with the renewed concep of just wat thn, comes alo, predicably, the aled concep of evi. Posing the enemy a evi eves rake the enemy and the sruggle agains i absolute and thus ouside of pois—evil i the enemy ofall many. (The category of ime "gins humanicy, which has in fc been transformed frm an clement ofthe Geneva Convention iazo global penal code is perhaps the legal ‘concep chat most lel makes concrete dis oconof evil) Modern Bie ropean philosophers ed to putt et this problem oo, he problem of cil he great Chritian debate over theodiy, that the jutieation of God wih expect ro the evil, the question of ow God could perme to cs. They ted wo displace sich problem or at les separate them from questions of pics and wa. The postmodern recoure to notions of justice ander in war may besimpy atonal propaganda and moral ‘eligous mysttiaion, lise elifrent than old fthioned call to destoy the ines or bur the wiches, bur snc such mysicaton do have ery rel effets, chey must be confronted seriously, as was done by modern philosopher such as Volait.Teerance, a cena ale of moder hough ' being dramatally undermined. And, me imporandy for our pur oss these resurrected discourses of justice and evil ate spams ofthe ways in which war has changed and lo the limitations that modeeiey had eid impose om i ‘We should be clear thatthe concept of rertorism does no (any mote than the concep of evi provide 2 aid conceptual o plc anche for the contemporary global sate of war. Early inthe cwenethcerury the ‘erm zerorin ete pmo anachise bombings in Rissa. race, and Spain—instances of socalled propaganda of the dee, The current ‘meaning ofthe em ica recent invention. Terrorism has bovome a poi cal concepe (a concep of war ot relly, vl wat) that eters othce di ferent phenomena that re sometimes held separate and aaets conf together (1) she revolt or rebellion agains legitimate government (2) the exercise of poll violence by «government in vation of human ihe inching, according to sme, the rights of propery: and (3) dhe racic of warfare in violtion ofthe rls of engagements inching = tacks on cvs. The problem with all of thee definitions is ha they ty according to who defines thee key mens who determines fot cx ample, what isa legitimate government, what are human tgs, and what ste the uk of war. Depending on who defines thee elements, of couse ‘¥en the United Stas could be labled eri sae Because of the insabiliy of is definition, the concepe of trom doesnot provide 2 sold foundation ro understand the curten ltl sat of wa. ‘The domestic fae of jus war doctines andthe wa agains cerorsn {ia epimesimed ar near complete oa conto, which some authors de- scribe a4 passage fom the well stat a wT ate a ches chat= scterze 38 + socalled ztotlerance sci" This i 3 soiey whose iinishing civil ibenties and increasing rats of incarceation afin ce ‘ain respects a manifestation of a ensane socal war, We should ot that ‘his cansformacon of methods of contol coincides with an exremely song social canslormaion, which we wil desribe in the next chapter in terms of biopolcal forms af peedvcton. The new forms of powee and ‘atzl operat incexsingl in conzadixon withthe ae social compos ‘ion of the population and serve merely to black its new forms of produc tivity and expression. We claimed eicwhere that similar obtrttion of freedom and productive exptession led «o the implosion of the Soviet Union." This isin any ease, highly contradictory scation in which the scons ofthe ruling powers to main contol tend to undercut their wn imetest and authority. Finally ike justice, democracy doesnot belong to wat. War always te quite srict hierarchy and obediene and thus the pal or tot suspen Son of democratic partkipation and exchange. “In wari,” explains the legal theorist Hans Kelsen, “the democratic principle has tye vo a surely aocatic one: everyone mus pay uncondtonl abedience tothe leader.” Inthe moder prod the ware suspension of democratic pl- ics was usualy poe as temporary since war was conceived aan excep- ‘ional condition” IF ou hypo is cote and today the stat of war ‘as instead become cur permanen global conon, chen the sspension of democracy tends also wo become the notm rather than the exepion,Following John Dewey’sstatemene shat serves a oe of the epitaph vo ‘his chapeer, we can se chat the caren lob sae of war forces ll a. tions, even the profexedly moe demaratc 0 become autortarian and ‘oalcaian, Some sy tha out ix word in which real democracy has be- ‘come imposible, perhaps even unthinkable BIOPOWER AND SECURITY A his pine we need to go back nce again and try ro understand this regime of biopower fiom another, mote phienophicl, perspective. Al ‘hough global war, as we said, has become increasingly indistinct fom lobal police action, it also now tend owrd the alte. In moderity ‘war never had an able, oncologic character. eis re thi the mode ems considered war 2 fundamental element of sca life. When the great modern miliary theo spoke of wat, they considered ica destructive but inevitable element of human soci. And we should not forge that ‘ar offen appewed in modean philosophy and plies as «postive ele ‘ent that involved both he search for loy (primary in aristocratic con sciousness and literature) and che construction of social soley ofen from the sandpoin ofthe subaler populations). None ofthis, however, ‘made war absolute, Wa was a element of soci ili did noc ale vet lie. Modern war was diets in that every negative moment of de scruction necesarily implied a postive moment of che conruction of social de. War relly became abslue ony with she rechnologil development of ‘weapons that made posible forthe fst time mas and even global de- struction. Weapons of global desuction break the modern diet of war, War has away invlved the dsrucion of ie, bain the wench ‘er They mater othe parcipans,cerainly, but notin the framework of fur curtent global order. Oly one distinction does mare, andi is Peimposed overall others: vileace tha preserve the contemporatyhie- achy of global order and violence tha thteatens that onder, This the Perspective of the new imperial wa, which we wl ivestigate in detain the nee section. Numerous contemporary waster contshut not ext fom he raling global hierarchy, ad chu Empire init vo them, That does noe mean they wil ese, bu i ay help explain why they ate norte objet imperil incerventon SAMUEL HUNTINGTON, GEHEIMRAT The get moder works of politica ewe ll provide tl fr traf igor overthrowing be ruling power and berating fom opreson. Een Machieveli’s The Pics, which me read at guidebook for nefarious ade, in fice a demartcpaphle ha pts the ndertandig of iene and the curing se of power the rere of republican intligence, Tad, ‘however, the majo of political emi are marly techni working to role tbe quanitasve problems of maintaining onde, andthe re wander ‘te carider from thir unverits tthe court of pve, ateming 10 gt ‘he ear ofthe soergnand whisper advice. The paradigmatic iar of po- ‘cal ini has bese the Geb, the ee ade of the een ‘Sarouel Huncingeon my be heb example of an iperil Cia, the one who as mast sucesfly pte the ar of the sweep. In 1975, t= gether with Michel Cree and oi Wat publ volume fr the Trlteral Commision onthe “iis of demons." Huntington’ agers see tht “democracy in the United Ste at sne the 19601 ben pt in dng by 00 mach pation and tn many demands fom orgenaed lar dor and newly asia seal rope rch a women and Afican Americans. Tow mach democracy, be cained prado, bas made US. demaonasy ik reuing in a "“demwcratie tener “Perhprachcontaditory ron ng cul be zen oak emo ring the cold war, when capitan cial ral in whatever pol frm i took, war nese cowed “demo si” gaia the treat of Sone ttle, In fa, Huntington xt ‘areas aninepblican, amidase tha rece: the dese of wvriey agi theta of all cia focal movement Whar Hancingon feared mot, of coun, and thi ithe cen tra of i ements democracy in its proper ss, that thereof all by all Demacray, be claimed must be per with autor, ad various mp: men of the population maa be ke Fom patipting tively in pl life or demanding 10 much fom she sae. Hunting’ pel di. fit serv guide ithe sabguen er forthe neil desraon of the welfe nate ‘Tienes later the Geist Hamington is agin whispering thear ofthe overeign. The needs of peer have changed and ths 00 hs bis suce The cold war had ben able pine that ad engi nation states an enemies, thas defining lb order, bata neg A the end of therein enay. shen the cold ris oer and eben the severegny of atone in ding, is aelear w global ode con be Canfgued and bw the violence neeery #8 mainain tht order an be de ned and logiimaed. Huntington advice ts ht he engenting ines of lobal nder and goal confi, the lcs ha ltr nation ten aed and enemy camps sould be defined no gen ideo” terms bu nar 1 “iilzatons“® Woleome back Oseald Spengler. The old mol of roa onary though esurfs agin Is very unclear what toe bizare his cal identi cle vation igh be, bin Huntington’ omen they sare age defined tears out, along rial and religions. The gene hans of civzains a criteria of clifton make i al he ei 0 tbrdinase “ence a politi tactics and ow tem rede the gee Ica map, The ret adr” of the svercgn bere dates on ol rene onary bypothss sat css politcal grouping at fiona commana (Gomeinschaien) and locates the ray of power (Machiesten) within sprialenites He has coward up the phenom of te iit to Jind in hem a rnd cma th rearages the frend-enemy dis tha is ‘uc to police Thon who blog w on iviizaton are ow frends ter lication ar our enemies. Gather roan ber the good newt as ecme ach of cizations Spina apy called his conaring up of en ‘mies ond fear superstition, and ach perio, be hae well aly lead the wit barber of perp wr dnd desracton Hunsingun’s bianca Geexmrat nthe 1970s wa to ape the eds of the sovereign providing bfovhand an antiemetic ute ma sa forthe Renan and Thacher reno Smal hi te of «ash of iulicason” preceded September 11 andthe bunt wr gains taro “im. which was mediately cociced by he med and the majo ola posers sometimes with prudent dichinrs bt often ns, «confi ofthe Ws agains lam. In his cons, fit. te Inte of cath of civ. {sation ems to bent so much a eseiption of he pron at of wld but aber an epic prescription. cll war, ah tht the Wi” mast realize. Ite of eng primar or pra or ee aia mehr sso heii re poll and gc dstates tha ave to oer ae rel political bodies in order tere a friends and enemies inte perma sent of ex. This sme Hannon bas mised the mark, and the sovereign has red bis hack on bm. Ab thecal fareanes of the Geemarc the whine ofthe seri! The US. goeernment has pected nent since September 1 thas slau sntgy has nothing wd wih cla of ila sins This mt primary ecu US, politi bad ae emit he tacit impcations of Huncngon hypetbeslprepaa, but rater bcs he savin of ication is 00 limited or hi global som. Hannon r- mains uc nthe ld paragon of world order sci s eanfiar new cl es of nations, mow in lation t0 btu forthe cold wr bos Thesis af Empire, however, ae mare vit. Al of burn ait cme sender is ae In his new world, Huntingon magne cehation and the boundaries ths divide tho ave merely sak Thee tomathing sad abou a ager adver who as ben spurned by the sovereign and att of the court.1.2 COUNTERINSURGENCIES ‘challenge nhs ew ec di one fend or nan apt te rk, he ct, the amen and he unespeced Allo Gali paied, —outn Caen (On THE SuiciDe oF re RerUcee WB, fr Water Bejan) al oa aed yur and pin oth Aero resi eae obvi ei fh enemy Then a as, bough up apt an inp or You poe hy se pie calle, Gangedes Aerating suena The popes age be en dr ae anes Se ein dks a ee ih ‘Ne wea Al shit pin ‘When you decree ay In this section we wll analy the internal conracions of the "war mae hin” created by the state of exepcion ad the global cvl war, The new ‘model of warfare does have some eiginal characters, beta sill ‘eipond eo the conventional neds of sovereign power: ro repre move- ‘mens of resistance and impose order the multe. Even the new satis of warfare, in ether woeds, must be configured a unten gis. As we wil se, 190 eyes oF contractions chaacteie ths new ‘model of warfare: thse thar desive from ie depatute fom taiional ‘methods of war and those tha aie i raion to the new cndivon of sociry and new forms of social labor that biopumer and war mast in- vtably confit. Thse contradictions will ie ws fist standpoine of foothold for recognizing what fem of resistance and evenly bea tion are posible inthis new concet, for dicovering nother word, how 1 ge ou ofthis lol ate of wat BIRTH OF THE NEW WAR In many respects ur postmodern sate of war resembles the premodem wars, The modern peiod in which wars were limited ro temporally and spatially bounded confit berten ation sates for piel ends night merely appear now asa brief espe of fw cents before humanity vrs plunged back agin ico an indistinct sate of war continually over ‘coded in moral and religious tems. Bu relly the clack of history does ‘oc earn backward. These secogniins of the reappearance of old ele ments are reilly just ist inadequate seme o grep che new. ‘One might ay chat the world has notre been a peace since ctl in the weave century. The Fise Weld War (1914-18), which was cen tered in Europe, led dee afer a eumultuous quai peaces to the See ‘ond (1939-45). And immediately upon completion ofthe Send Workd ‘Ware emered ito che cold wa, 4 new kindof gba warn some sense 4 Third Wed War. which in cum gave way wich ole (1989-91) x9 ‘ur presen sate of imperil civil war. Our ag ight thus be conceived as ‘the Fourth World Wa." Such perioizaton i usefl sarin point in- sofa ait hlps us eognie both the continuities with and te diferencesfom previous global cons. The cancep of cold wal already e tablished thar war has become a normal eat of ass making cles that ‘even the cesaton of lethal re docs noc mean that wa over, aly hat it ‘ss modulated is frm emporriy. In a more complete Way today, per haps the sate of war as become inzerminabl, This peodition sso ‘makes dear how the nate of warfare has changed ovr the course of| these diferent stags, a has che natare ofthe enemies in confi, The Fuse Woeld War war a confi among European nition tates that drew in ‘many pars of the world primarily because ofthe global exension of dit Iimperalist and colonial stracrres. The Second Warld War espeated in lage par the Fs, cenzered now equaly in Ais and Europe, but wae re solid bythe inervenson of the Soviee and the United Stats, who b> sequen determined th sides of 4 new global conflict. The cold war consolidated his global alternative i such 3 way chat most nton-ats wee forced o lineup behind one sd othe the. In ur presen sate of| limperial war, however, Sovereign nation-states no longer primarily define ‘he sides of the confit. There are new actors on the fl of bate oda, and idesifying them more cleay is one of the entra ass in constuc ing such genes. Tris common o dae the shift i icerntional rations 1989 and the final callapse of dhe ead war. bur perhaps a more suggestive date to mark the inauguration of our preset sate of wat i May 26, 1972, the ‘ay when the Unite Stats and the Soviet Union signed the An Ballii Misite Trey, which regulted the mlear weapons production of the wo supepomers The specular contest of muceartheat had reached is pothesis, This may be the moment when war began to vacate a fun