| Profit over People: Neoliberalism and Global Order by Noam Chomsky |
 |
 |
 |
| Books - Non-Fiction | |||
| Written by Alexander Zaitchik | |||
Depending on your politics, Noam Chomsky is either the closest thing America has to a superhero, or a treasonous radical deserving the gallows...
The essays deal with the rise and consolidation of our global trading system as crafted by major corporations. Ever masterful at decoding mainstream media, Chomsky demonstrates the way in which globalization has been misrepresented and sold to the majority of humankind as an inevitable, ultimately beneficial development-this despite the fact that the same majority has and will continue to suffer under this system. They will suffer because this system and its institutions-the WTO, NAFTA, GATT etc. -lock in the rights of investors above the rights of citizens and beyond the reach of governments who may wish to act on behalf of these citizens. Environmental protection in Mexico, social insurance in Canada, labor rights in the US, human rights all over the world-all of these are being subordinated to the principle of "free trade," which allows nothing to stand in the way of maximum profit. In short, the hard won rights of activists and working people made in this century are being dismantled by the new global reach and power of capital. Chomsky's genius is in marshaling a vast and impressive selection of statistics and examples to illustrate this trend. His arguments are characteristically tight and peppered with wry sarcasm, as well as illuminating quotes and anecdotes culled from business, state and non-governmental sources. The quotes from the business press lay bare their vision of a low wage, high profit future in the neoliberal paradise to come. The resistance of "special interests" like workers and farmers-basically everyone who is not a wealthy investor or professional-is to be overcome with propaganda and, if necessary, force. Indeed, free trade agreements deprive citizens of the power to influence decisions that effect their lives. This is because these decisions are being removed from the public sphere, i.e. government, & placed in the private, i.e. corporations. This de facto world government of corporations - although not yet a mature reality - would be sealed off from the impact of democratic political forces. Investor rights are now in many cases on a par with national rights, i.e. mass sovereignty. The result of this, Chomsky predicts, will be more uprisings such as the Zapatista rebellion in Mexico, where poor Indians, screwed by the "Mexican economic miracle" and shut out of politics, have taken up the gun. As neoliberalsim is exported and entrenched around the world via trade agreements, the forces driving global society can only lead to "increasing polarization & social disintegration." Chomsky points to the explosive growth of "gated communities" in the US - originally found only in Latin America - as evidence of the Third Worldification of the developed west. As layoffs in the G-7 countries proceed, instigated by privatization and the lure of near-slave labor abroad, there can be little doubt that the kind of society represented by "gated communities"-the real face of globalization-is in store for Europe as well. But none of this is fated to be. Chomsky stresses that the global organization of democratic forces is the "ultimate weapon" and something very much feared by the now nationless corporate elite. Workers, environmentalists and all of those concerned with living in a decent and democratic world can mobilize in opposition to the corporate interests trying to drag humanity down its self interested and ultimately destructive path. Such mobilization is nothing less than the fight for the future. And this party's just getting started; which side are you on?
|
But whatever you think of his ideas, his stamina and consistency command respect. Along with keeping up a nonstop speaking schedule, the man published his 36th book this year. It is a slim title, made up of essays and speeches given during the late nineties, but clearly demonstrates that Professor Chomsky - now past seventy - is as brilliant, and as needed, as ever.
