The Whipping Boy Club

We all understand that a certain group of nations is beyond the pale. The group is not large, and changes occur now and then in its roster. Spain is Old Boy, with 37 unbroken years. South Africa joined after the Nationalist Party took over in 1948; Rhodesia in 1965, at the time of her Unilateral Declaration of Independence. Germany became a member a couple of years after Hitler came to power; then was phased out in the five years following the war. Italy and Japan never did get full membership. Greece had a seven-year run in the Colonel years. Chile has been included since 1973. Currently, Brazil, South Korea, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Israel are on the threshold, and may be considered associate members.

The prime criterion for membership in this group of nations—I Will call it the Whipping Boy Club (WBC)—is moral: A WBC member is evil. Not just bad now and then, like the rest of us, but essentially evil, like Satan, evil in every act and aspect. If a WBC member sends money to an earthquake relief fund, rescues a shipwrecked sailor, or invites athletes or actors to visit, we can be sure these are all Potemkin village tricks designed to con World Opinion.

JB

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James Burnham

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We all understand that a certain group of nations is beyond the pale. The group is not large, and changes occur now and then in its roster. Spain is Old Boy, with 37 unbroken years. South Africa joined after the Nationalist Party took over in 1948; Rhodesia in 1965, at the time of her Unilateral Declaration of Independence. Germany became a member a couple of years after Hitler came to power; then was phased out in the five years following the war. Italy and Japan never did get full membership. Greece had a seven-year run in the Colonel years. Chile has been included since 1973. Currently, Brazil, South Korea, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Israel are on the threshold, and may be considered associate members.

The prime criterion for membership in this group of nations—I Will call it the Whipping Boy Club (WBC)—is moral: A WBC member is evil. Not just bad now and then, like the rest of us, but essentially evil, like Satan, evil in every act and aspect. If a WBC member sends money to an earthquake relief fund, rescues a shipwrecked sailor, or invites athletes or actors to visit, we can be sure these are all Potemkin village tricks designed to con World Opinion.