A few examples, from The Glossary of Empire:
“Stable”
(peaceful, governed, orderly)
Resources are flowing to Western interests without interruption. Contracts are honoured, oil is exported, debt is serviced. Has nothing to do with whether the population is fed, safe, or free.
“Democracy”
(free elections, rule of law, civil liberties)
A governance arrangement compatible with Western capital. Celebrated when the right candidate wins. Ignored or reversed when the wrong one does. See: Gaza 2006, Algeria 1991, Zimbabwe 2008.
“Dictator”
(authoritarian ruler who oppresses his people)
A leader who has stopped cooperating with Western extraction. Yesterday's partner, today's tyrant. Applied selectively — never to friendly autocrats.
“Failed State”
(a government unable to provide basic services)
A country whose government can no longer protect Western business interests or honour extraction agreements. Somalia after rejecting IMF terms. Libya after Gaddafi's removal.
I hear every one of these terms in that grating, Neoliberal, singsongy delivery that is now a prerequisite for the current flock of NPR radio show hosts.
I actually think that there are under developed countries, but not in the same way. Places like the US are severely underdeveloped because of how much capital has been completely and utterly wasted. They stole it all and burned it rather than used it to develop. Imagine how much the US could have if it had used all of that stolen capital efficiently. Hence, underdeveloped
Yes, you put it rather well, and I agree that the U.S. is indeed underdeveloped in this way.
To piggyback on your comment: While I agree with the general sentiment of what Parenti, et al intend behind the phrase, at this point in time “underdeveloped” is often used to refer to nations/people/land that are actually “under-extracted” in the eyes of capital.
“Underdeveloped” acts as a euphemism by which capitalists can justify their presence by claiming to be contributing to so-called “human development” by way of industrial development, when in reality they mean “further resource extraction” and “wealth accumulation.”
100% this
To me almost all wars or”conflict” are simply the stealing of another place’s resources.
Which is made possible by using this lexicon of coded language.
Trump has merely said out loud what was formerly and typically cloaked in obfuscation and deceptive contextualizing (when they’re not outright lying), in order to justify our bringing “democracy” to “unstable” places ruled by “dictators.”
Of course it’s used here as well. They steal our resources by not taxing the rich, giving obscene funds to police and military, and “privatize” everything. Betting on sports and everything else, while having to be entertained 24/7 every single day, and access to cheap disposable goods (literally made by child slave labor in SE Asia) to attempt to assuage the deep emptiness part and parcel of being working class American keeps the proles distracted, isolated and eminently malleable. While they steal everything around us.