The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
by Naomi Klein
Around the world in Britain, the United States, Asia and the Middle East, there are people with power who are cashing in on chaos; exploiting bloodshed and catastrophe to brutally remake our world in their image. They are the shock doctors. Thrilling and revelatory, The Shock Doctrine cracks open the secret history of our era. Exposing these global profiteers, Naomi Klein discovered information and connections that shocked even her about how comprehensively the shock doctors' beliefs now dominate our world - and how this domination has been achieved. Raking in billions out of the tsunami, plundering Russia, exploiting Iraq - this is the chilling tale of how a few are making a killing while more are getting killed.
Paperback now on sale in U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
Watch Naomi discuss the financial crisis on The Colbert Report!
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$700 Billion Bailout: The Halliburton-ization of the Treasury
Don't miss Naomi's Rolling Stone feature article, "The Bailout Profiteers." Naomi examines how the Bush administration's $700 billion plan for Wall Street is starting to mirror Iraq's Green Zone, with private contractors running the show and conflicts of interest run rampant. On newsstands this Friday... In the meantime, those looking for analysis of the bailout and the financial crisis can listen to Naomi on The Brian Lehrer Show. She lays out how the US Treasury bailout is vastly inferior to the deal struck in the UK—and listen up for her recommendation for the next U.S. Treasury Secretary... You can also watch Naomi's recent appearance at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. In this onstage conversation with author Stephen Elliot, Naomi discussed how the financial crisis will impact the next U.S. president, and what people can do now to get ready for the next dose of the shock doctrine. After next Tuesday, Naomi says, "what’s going to happen is we are going to be asked to sacrifice the dreams of actually moving to a sustainable ecological model on the altar of this crisis."
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The articles posted under "Disaster Capitalism in Action" are especially relevent to these economic times. This is one example:
Resources › Disaster Capitalism in Action
Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch Take Bailout Money, Slash Jobs
Stephen Gandel, Stephen Gandel, October 27, 2008
"Uncle Sam has a new name on Wall Street — Sugar Daddy. Bonuses for investment bankers and traders are projected to fall 40% this year. But analysts, compensation consultants and recruiters say the drop would be much more severe, perhaps as much as 70%, were it not for the government's efforts to prop up financial firms...."One factor mitigating the financial industry's bonus intentions is the fact that there could be far fewer employed Wall Streeters by the time year-end payouts are made. Goldman Sachs reportedly plans to cut 10%, or 3,250 workers, from its payrolls. Barclays is expected to eliminate 3,000 jobs from the former investment-banking division of Lehman Brothers, which it acquired in September. And Merrill Lynch's John Thain recently said that he expects thousands of job cuts in the wake of his firm's acquisition. All told, Hintz expects Wall Street employment to fall 25%, which could mean a loss of 43,250 jobs in New York City alone and more than 200,000 jobs nationwide by the end of 2009."
Stephen Gandel, Stephen Gandel, October 27, 2008
"Uncle Sam has a new name on Wall Street — Sugar Daddy. Bonuses for investment bankers and traders are projected to fall 40% this year. But analysts, compensation consultants and recruiters say the drop would be much more severe, perhaps as much as 70%, were it not for the government's efforts to prop up financial firms...."One factor mitigating the financial industry's bonus intentions is the fact that there could be far fewer employed Wall Streeters by the time year-end payouts are made. Goldman Sachs reportedly plans to cut 10%, or 3,250 workers, from its payrolls. Barclays is expected to eliminate 3,000 jobs from the former investment-banking division of Lehman Brothers, which it acquired in September. And Merrill Lynch's John Thain recently said that he expects thousands of job cuts in the wake of his firm's acquisition. All told, Hintz expects Wall Street employment to fall 25%, which could mean a loss of 43,250 jobs in New York City alone and more than 200,000 jobs nationwide by the end of 2009."
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"This is an impressive crowd. The haves and the have mores. Some people call you the elite. I call you my base." ~ George W. Bush
"We can either have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (1861-1939)
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