Naomi Klein's command of the issues is impressive. I applaud her attempt to create an over-arching theory that helps rank & file citizens understand the risks and issues, and hope individual Americans take their country back.

I used to have just a passing interest in American politics, but as it affects all global citizens so intimately, I wish I could vote in the U.S. But as I can't, let me ask my American friends: please for the sake of us all, impeach Bush and Cheney and take back your great democracy.

Tuds

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

It is not an easy read, especially the beginning where she "shocks" the reader with details about torture, but it is important to understand her premise. This book to me is the behind the scenes version of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. John Perkins told you what. Naomi Klein tells you how and why.

America's democracy is surely in jeopardy. Next on my reading list is The End of America. Maybe then I will move to Norway.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

For a detailed and mind-blowing expose' on the reasoning and intentions behind the neocon's invasion of Iraq -- and their unplanned, however protracted, occupation -- take the time to read Naomi Klein's superb article that appeared in Harpers in the fall of 2004. It connects-the-dots in a way that offers the reader an insight that no other author, except Ms. Klein, has offered before, or since.

It's part of a larger body of work that was published in the USA (and several other countries) in September. I highly recommend that all AlterNet readers take the time to read The Shock Doctrine very soon, even if means putting other things aside. This book has received resounding reviews already, and will no doubt be one of the biggest tipping-points in the movement for economic and social justice.

Howard Zinn says the following in his advance review: "Naomi Klein is an investigative reporter like no other. She roams the continents with eyes wide open and her brain operating at full speed, finding connections we never thought of, and patterns which eluded us. This is a brilliant book, one of the most important I have read in a long time."

The Shock Doctrine explains exactly how, and why, we degenerated into the current economic paradigm -- through the use and help of political force, and what Ms. Klein refers to as "disaster capitalism", which thrives on shock therapy on a national basis. It's being conducted now, and it's probably going to get worse before it gets better. Why? Because, as long as capital takes precedence over people, which the existing scenario promotes, than we'll always be captive to corporate-America holding the reins of power and influence in this country.

I predict that The Shock Doctrine will continue to cause shockwaves in the conservative community, around the world, for a long time to come. If you haven't yet, please make a point to read it. It's that important.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

The Russian Political Economist Kondratiev established that historically capitalism consists of four long waves of expansion and conraction each of which averaged about 50 years per expansion and contraction (or 100 years together). The four waves together comprises the entire history of capitalissm. Kondratiev, and his followers one of whom was Leon Trotsky, noted that different stages of development separated each of the four waves. In every case, a major exogenious influence or impact on the system, be it war, natural or other catastrophe, major technological change or some acute trauma initiated each major wave of expansion.

WWII intiated the fourth major wave of expansion of late capitalism which has since the early 1970s given way to the contraction phase. The point is that although business cycles do exist, the capitalist system is not self equilibriating as per neo-classical economic theory and requires an external trauma to restructure capital to initiate an expansion phase. The laws of motion of capital means that capitalism has been concentrating and centralizing wealth, income and productive assets and markets for about five hundred years.

In the very late stages the reinitiation of expansive phases gets more difficult due to the problem of finding profitable ourlets for capital investment given the lack of effective demand due to economic concentration. Ongoing petty wars and financialization has cycled the economy up and down but as of yet has produced no sustained, new expansive phase of the system. The high tech bubble of the 1990s was just a bubble and one economist famously quipped that computers were showing up everywhere except in the productivity and growth statistics!!

What Klein is explaining is late capitalism's frenzied efforts to find a profitable way to reproduce the system's relations of production without putting downward pressure on profits through full employment and high wages. The "creative destruction" of disaster capitalism, as Klein aptly calls it, creates opportunities for late capitalism to expand by privatizing the former functions of disaster relief and restructuring societies in the wake of disasters both man made and natural. This is exactly why the reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of both Hurricane Katrina and Iraq War looked so similar to Klein. They are both sterling examples of late capitalism's inability to expand through achieving a natural equalibrium forcing it to rely on corrupt anti-social corporate reconstruction opportunities to perpetuate the system. This is nothing more than late capitalism's attempt to resolve the crisis of profitability and effect yet another long wave of capitalist expansion.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

The Shock Doctrine is a great book. After reading it I went looking for reviews, especially critical reviews. I wanted to hear counter arguments and perhaps, learn if or where Klien may have gotten any particular facts wrong. All I found were positive reviews or petulant name calling. Oddly, the name calling only further proved one of the authors side points. She claimed that the neocons were "market fundamentalist" and like other types of fundamentalists they saw their greatest opponents not in the far opposition but in their ideological next door neighbors. Sure enough, the negative reviews I found called Ms Klein a Marxist as if that ended the argument. When in fact, she makes it very clear that she is a Kensian capitalists not a Marxist. Of course being fundamentalists the neocons cant see any difference between Marxism and Kensianism!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

While concurring with the other posted comments praising Naomi Klein’s logical wisdom “Shock Doctrine”, I ask, what is Naomi’s and/or the conventional wisdom’s antidote to abate corporate greed filling the void created by perceived and/or real catastrophic events. And is it only following catastrophes where unfettered capitalism is poisoning American society with it’s runaway corporate greed in the form of consumer’s materialism.

Could the answers be found in prohibiting America’s governance from selling it’s power to corporate America with no allegiance to civil responsibility, all for campaign financing and in effect, abrogating the governments public allegiance.

Its not “freedom of choice” when the options are owned and manipulated by corporate America’s greed. This is not a democracy, it is an oligarchy, and the reason America’s founding fathers didn’t afford corporations the right to vote.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

and what was the answer to the British oligarchy and monarchy? Revolution. Those we elect to represent us must have a bit of fear for us if we, the people, become disenchanted with their self-service. They are elected to represent the "people", not corporations, bankers, Wall Street, lobbyists, etc.

It would be hoped that in the 21st Century, violence in a democratic republic such as the U.S. wouldn't be necessary to rid us of the evils now present in business, banking, "multi-nationals and government(two coups, in 2000 and 2004 by the Republican party and Bush cheats robbed us of our election franchise and should have resulted in some serious ass kicking - didn't - cowards). However, unless things change dramatically (war, economy, health care, energy) in the next 18 to 24 months, I predict that this is what will happen.

A combination of disenfranchised, under-educated, unemployed, well-armed, individuals with a sense of nothing to lose will start the revolution with mindless violence and institutional destruction. Those with "special interests" (survival, greed, religious bigotry - the basesest of reasons) will follow. Then when all the nutcases, malcontents or just plain desperate have wacked each other, sane, secular, progressives who have survived by ducking and covering will rescue what's left and set us on a positive course until the pendulum again swings toward self-destruction. Of course, in the meantime, Mother Nature may have just had it with us and done us all in - poetic justice if ever there was.

Ain't evolution great?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]