Latin America’s Shock Resistance

sunflower · 11-14-2007, 06:20 PM

By Naomi Klein

11/14/07 "The Nation" -- -- In less than two years, the lease on the largest and most important US military base in Latin America will run out. The base is in Manta, Ecuador, and Rafael Correa, the country’s leftist president, has pronounced that he will renew the lease “on one condition: that they let us put a base in Miami–an Ecuadorean base. If there is no problem having foreign soldiers on a country’s soil, surely they’ll let us have an Ecuadorean base in the United States.”

Since an Ecuadorean military outpost in South Beach is a long shot, it is very likely that the Manta base, which serves as a staging area for the “war on drugs,” will soon shut down. Correa’s defiant stand is not, as some have claimed, about anti-Americanism. Rather, it is part of a broad range of measures being taken by Latin American governments to make the continent less vulnerable to externally provoked crises and shocks.

This is a crucial development because for the past thirty-five years in Latin America, such shocks from outside have served to create the political conditions required to justify the imposition of “shock therapy”–the constellation of corporate-friendly “emergency” economic measures like large-scale privatizations and deep cuts to social spending that debilitate the state in the name of free markets. In one of his most influential essays, the late economist Milton Friedman articulated contemporary capitalism’s core tactical nostrum, what I call the shock doctrine. He observed that “only a crisis– actual or perceived–produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around.”

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20071126/klein

bigbrowndog · 11-14-2007, 06:25 PM

I ordered her two books today:The Shock Doctrine
& No Logo: No Space, No Choice, No Jobs.

Here's some more grist for the mill:

CIA acknowledges involvement in Allende's overthrow, Pinochet's rise

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/a....cia.chile.ap/

Pardoning Pinochet's Pals - United States role in dictator's rise to power

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...63/ai_53706053

How this relates to us today:

The Shock Doctrine: Naomi Klein on the Rise of Disaster Capitalism

http://www.democracynow.org/article..../09/17/1411235

sunflower · 11-14-2007, 06:28 PM

I think she's amazing.

bigbrowndog · 11-14-2007, 06:39 PM

She dovetails Greg Palast pretty well from what I can tell.

11-14-2007, 06:20 PM	#1 (permalink)
sunflower Latin Lover Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Central Fla. Posts: 2,594 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Latin America’s Shock Resistance By Naomi Klein 11/14/07 "The Nation" -- -- In less than two years, the lease on the largest and most important US military base in Latin America will run out. The base is in Manta, Ecuador, and Rafael Correa, the country’s leftist president, has pronounced that he will renew the lease “on one condition: that they let us put a base in Miami–an Ecuadorean base. If there is no problem having foreign soldiers on a country’s soil, surely they’ll let us have an Ecuadorean base in the United States.” Since an Ecuadorean military outpost in South Beach is a long shot, it is very likely that the Manta base, which serves as a staging area for the “war on drugs,” will soon shut down. Correa’s defiant stand is not, as some have claimed, about anti-Americanism. Rather, it is part of a broad range of measures being taken by Latin American governments to make the continent less vulnerable to externally provoked crises and shocks. This is a crucial development because for the past thirty-five years in Latin America, such shocks from outside have served to create the political conditions required to justify the imposition of “shock therapy”–the constellation of corporate-friendly “emergency” economic measures like large-scale privatizations and deep cuts to social spending that debilitate the state in the name of free markets. In one of his most influential essays, the late economist Milton Friedman articulated contemporary capitalism’s core tactical nostrum, what I call the shock doctrine. He observed that “only a crisis– actual or perceived–produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around.” http://www.thenation.com/doc/20071126/klein __________________ “During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act”. *George Orwell* ************************************ The owners of this country know the truth. It's called the American Dream....'cos you have to be asleep to believe it. George Carlin http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r...m8fo8ne6xy.gif
	Top

11-14-2007, 06:25 PM	#2 (permalink)
bigbrowndog Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 853 My Mood: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I ordered her two books today:The Shock Doctrine & No Logo: No Space, No Choice, No Jobs. Here's some more grist for the mill: CIA acknowledges involvement in Allende's overthrow, Pinochet's rise http://archives.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/a....cia.chile.ap/ Pardoning Pinochet's Pals - United States role in dictator's rise to power http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...63/ai_53706053 How this relates to us today: The Shock Doctrine: Naomi Klein on the Rise of Disaster Capitalism http://www.democracynow.org/article..../09/17/1411235 __________________ http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...antasleigh.jpg help people eat for Christmas http://www.freerice.com/index.php
	Top

11-14-2007, 06:28 PM	#3 (permalink)
sunflower Latin Lover Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Central Fla. Posts: 2,594 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I think she's amazing. __________________ “During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act”. *George Orwell* ************************************ The owners of this country know the truth. It's called the American Dream....'cos you have to be asleep to believe it. George Carlin http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r...m8fo8ne6xy.gif
	Top

11-14-2007, 06:39 PM	#4 (permalink)
bigbrowndog Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 853 My Mood: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	She dovetails Greg Palast pretty well from what I can tell. __________________ http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...antasleigh.jpg help people eat for Christmas http://www.freerice.com/index.php
	Top

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