Naomi Klein has just come out with an extremely interesting book 'The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism'. It's a serious work of great importance, describing the exploitation of disasters by corporate capitalism. Klein sifts through the rhetoric and uncovers an extremely unpleasant side to the doctrine of the free market.
A very informed John Cusack interviews Klein about her book, and discusses the necessity of labeling the savage type of economic system we now live under.
The second part links directly from the video.
Full text.
1 comments:
v interesing interview. i don't think anyone who's observed yeltsin era russia or various instances of structural adjustment in SSA can deny that shock therapy exerts huge costs, more often than not borne by the poorest in society. However, Klein conflates terms in this interview and thereby concludes that 'shock therapy' is sinister in intent and effect. By all means, say that the policy does not work or it exerts to heavy a toll but Jeffrey Sachs, who is one of the foremost adovcates of shock therapy would never advocate torture, corruption or the erosion of civil liberties. His definition of shock therapy is limited to the simultaneous and comprehensive liberalisation of economic structure - reduce tariffs, remove price controls, fiscal consolidation...etc. Poland applied that policy after becoming a democracy and is doing relatively well. The exploitation of disasters in any way possible as a strategy for groups to profit themselves has got nothing to do with Sach's shock therapy.
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