Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine advances a truly unnerving argument: historically, while people were reeling from natural disasters, wars and economic upheavals, savvy politicians and industry leaders nefariously implemented policies that would never have passed during less muddled times. As Klein demonstrates, this reprehensible game of bait-and-switch isn't just some relic from the bad old days. It's alive and well in contemporary society, and coming soon to a disaster area near you.
"At the most chaotic juncture in Iraq'' civil war, a new law is unveiled that will allow Shell and BP to claim the country's vast oil reserves Immediately following September 11, the Bush Administration quietly outsources the running of the 'War on Terror' to Halliburton and Blackwater After a tsunami wipes out the coasts of Southeast Asia, the pristine beaches are auctioned off to tourist resorts New Orleans residents, scattered from Hurricane Katrina, discover that their public housing, hospitals and schools will never be re-opened." Klein not only kicks butt, she names names, notably economist Milton Friedman and his radical Chicago School of the 1950s and 60s which she notes "produced many of the leading neo-conservative and neo-liberal thinkers whose influence is still profound in Washington today." Stand up and take a bow, Donald Rumsfeld.
There's little doubt Klein's book--which arrived to enormous attention and fanfare thanks to her previous missive, the best-selling No Logo, will stir the ire of the right and corporate America. It's also true that Klein's assertions are coherent, comprehensively researched and footnoted, and she makes a very credible case. Even if the world isn't going to hell in a hand-basket just yet, it's nice to know a sharp customer like Klein is bearing witness to the backroom machinations of government and industry in times of turmoil. --Kim Hughes
Some excellent summaries already exist in the reviews here, so suffice it to say this is a riveting read! Most important, the book provides an economic angle on world events that reads like a whodunit instead of a textbook and makes those events fall into place in a way few other works do. The lightbulb moments are too numerous to count. If there is one area in which U.S. citizenry is woefully under-read, it is probably economics, and this book is a great way to overcome econophobia. It is a door-opener to a new level of understanding in both politics and economics. A most worthy read.
writes,
Let's see. On one hand we have Milton Friedman, a legendary economist who has attained the prestige of Smith and Keynes, and on the other, we have an angry feminist with little economic training other than her brief affiliation with the London School. This is a tough one.
writes,
To truly understand the nation to which we pay taxes,the era in which we live and the damage we have wrought to millions around the world and to truly understand what happened in Iraq - this amazingly well researched book must be read by all Americans. I consider it one of, if not the most important book of this decade. Ed Mangiafico
