The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism Paperback – 1 May 2008

This book develops theories of the connection between violence or disasters and the exercise of undemocratic power, following on from where victims of torture and dictatorship, such as Orlando Letelier, began.Klein not only employs an analogy between torture of individuals by repressive governments and economic free market "shock therapy" of whole societies but shows how the two have often been part of the same process, with mass torture and undemocratic actions being used to push through economic "reforms" which impoverish the majority for the benefit of a minority.The CIA's backing for brutal torture methods developed by funding a psychologist who seems from the description to have been insane or utterly detached from reality - and who practised his methods of "curing" his patients through sensory deprivation and electroshock are one of the most shocking parts of the book.She shows how the Chicago school of economics is so harmful to the interests of the majority (with many starving or dying due to a lack of clean water or medical care as a result of this type of economic policy) that it can only be implemented by dictatorship, severe repression and "emergency rule" - often including torture.The book is meticulously sourced where the claims or quotes are not from interviews Klein conducted personally. It's well written and clearly argued in short chapters which are to the point and back up every claim and argument made with evidence and sources.It's certainly long but never repetitive (with a handful of exceptions in the middle which are to remind readers of earlier chapters) - and the individual chapters are fairly short.Despite the shocking and disturbing subject she's dealing with Klein manages to point out the hopeful developments now taking place in Latin America and elsewhere and peoples' ability to defend themselves against violence and manipulation in the final chapter.Some of the other reviewers have attributed various claims to Klein which she never makes in this or any other book. It's been claimed she sees the Chicago school as ruling the world and co-ercing governments. She says nothing of the kind - she merely points out that many dictatorships have been advised by Chicago school economists often including the school's founder Milton Freidman and that their advice has been taken enthusiastically by these dictators (examples include Pinochet's, the Argentinian juntas of the past, Chinese Communists from 1989 on , Yeltsin when ruling by decree in Russia and many others). In short she claims the Chicago school has been very influential , has directly advised dictatorships on economic policy, has succeeded in having much of its advice taken by them - and that its suggested policies are so harmful to the interests (and even survival) of the majority that no democracy can implement them for long. What's more the CIA and the US government have often acted in concert with Chicago school economists as it suits US interests for these policies to be adopted by the governments of other countries.Klein does not overlook the Argentine junta's responsiblity for the Falklands war - she points out (accurately) that both the Junta and the Thatcher government were deeply unpopular before it and hoped for a rapid military victory to restore their popularity.

This extraordinarily entertaining and thought-provoking left-leaning book is full of detail in describing the battleground between Keynesian and (gaining) Friedman economic theories since the 1970s. The latter believes that the capitalist engine drives economies whereas the socialist safety net costs them. It has exploited opportunities presented by natural or man-made disasters (for example, 9/11, counterrevolutions and military coups, debt, hyperinflation, Katrina and New Orleans, the 1993 invasion of Iraq and its aftermath, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US air traffic controllers’ strike, tsunamis, etc. - and perhaps even a few deliberately created crises) in order apply shock and awe to get things done its way. The solution has been to apply accelerated elitist non-democratic driven shock therapy of laissez-faire economics, unfettered free markets, dramatic reductions in government expenditure and creation of hollow governments, high levels of subcontracting of responsibilities to large corporations, and the selling off of state assets at giveaway prices. In such cases, government decision making and strategy has become increasingly influenced by the profit motive of vested interests (most notably the rapidly growing defence and security industries). The result has been dramatic plutonomy, a widening of the gap between rich and poor and the creation of a massive underclass, all while stock markets have continued to rise, as well as such phenomena as gentrification and gated communities for the privileged. Countries have moved away from mixed, socially levelling economies towards trickle-down economics, corporate dominance and the pressures of globalisation on employment and wages. Such solutions can be contrasted with the post WW2 Marshall Plan which restrained rampant capitalism in taking into consideration social movements and restricting the ability of foreign corporations to pillage susceptible economies in order to get ‘a piece of the action’. The author points out many cases of what can be interpreted as criminal behaviour, either through negligence or incompetence, conflicts of interest, the evasion of public scrutiny, allowing corporate interests over-influencing government strategy (notably in relation to military conflicts), not to mention the abundance use of revolving doors between government posts and private industry. The bad names and words in this trend include the ‘neoliberal’ Chicago School of Economics, (where Milton Friedman and many acolyte protagonists originated from), and individuals such as Bremer, Bush, Cheney, Pinochet, Reagan, Rumsfeld, Sachs, and Thatcher.This book was published in 2007, i.e. before the financial crisis, Snowden, Syria, the Arab Spring, the Greek crisis, the growth of ISIS, and the restraint practiced by Barack Obama, so it pays to gloss over the last chapter, as well as any promise that might have been then seemingly offered by characters such as Chavez, Kirchner, and Putin. Parkinson’s Law illustrates the dangers of big government, ivory towers and the absence of competition, and too much democracy can result in sclerosis, so presumably there does exist a just middle way, but certainly not the one described in this book.

I got this on a recommendation from a friend. I love non fiction but this is not my usual genre of reading. I wanted to broaden my knowledge on capitalism and how governments take control over a people amidst the CV 2020 pandemic.I read the first 100 pages but then gave up. It is a little too political for me and too be honest too long!! 500 pages is a considerable amount to sit through unless a book is really exceptional!There wasn't neccissarily anything wrong with the book, perhaps it is just not my area of interest, it just didn't hold me enough to continue. If you're into politics the is a very persuasive read and well written. Hence the4 star rating.