(Image credit: https://www.doclounge.se/films/the-shock-doctrine)
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I read this book as a 2nd year, Economic and Social Policy undergrad at Birkbeck College back in 2008. Sadly It's even more relevant today.
13 years later since reading The Shock Doctrine for the first time, we are now in a world that has lived through the hottest years ever, with the hottest in Europe just about in our rear view mirror.
We have seen Brexit, Trump and the rise of 'fake news' and disinformation.
Market crashes in pandemic panic as COVID 19 made its way from being a news story in December 2019 affecting people 'all the way in China', to being a daily reality for millions of people across the world.
How did we get here?
What are the hegemonic forces at play?
Could any of this have been prevented?
Does anyone stand to profit from these tragic circumstances?
Given the shock waves permeating globally from the outbreak of COVID-19 how will disaster capitalism ('the rapid-fire corporate re-engineering of societies still reeling from shock') rear its ugly head again.
'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.'
The latest series of crises demand our investigation and unpicking to get to the bottom of the myriad of narratives. The Shock Doctrine and The Rise of Disaster Capitalism is a look at our shocking history.
By the look of things, history seems to be continuing to repeat itself.
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