Globalization Unmasked: Imperialism in the 21st Century

Book Description

Globalization is the mantra of our times. Business executives, politicians, and intellectuals all seem to agree that it just happened, and that we must adapt to it. In this new book, the entire globalization project is subjected to a powerful blast from the left. James Petras and Henry Veltmeyer contend that globalization is not new—capitalism over the past 100 years has experienced periodic waxings and wanings of its tendency to integrate economies worldwide. They go on to argue that globalization was created by deliberate policies put in place by powerful states under the control of dominant classes, and that it is not a structural part of the capitalist system—it is instead an ideological smokescreen used to divert attention away from the resurgence of imperialist powers. The authors do see an alternative—a renewed, democratic, and revolutionary socialist vision that is capable of uniting people, and of being recognized by political movements that are committed to finding realistic strategies and achievable goals.

Customer Reviews:

A lighter and fancier rendition of imperialism.......2006-04-11

"Globalization" is deemed to be something very cool and new age. We hear people say things like "we live in a small village called the World and globalization what makes this happen". It all sounds very nice, fancy and cool!

But, do you think it is really cool for those who are "globalized"? The authors basically argue that globalization is some sort of new fancy name for imperialism with lighter rendition. People of the underdeveloped and developing countries should be very cautions as to the activities of some worldwide organizations IMF, World Bank etc.

One of the most eye-opening chapters of the book was the one about non-governmental organizations (NGO's). They argue that even though the majority of the administrators of these organizations are local people, they have, in general, very strong ties with those infamous worldwide organizations and powerful countries. They are paid by those institutions / countries in large sums and used as the tools of propaganda and promotion. These (relatively) poor countries essentially become more and more connected and dependent on the (seemingly) benefactor / benevolent countries.

This book carries a message to the people of underdeveloped and developing countries that they should stay away these NGO's and similar organizations as much as possible.

Vital.......2005-04-13

Despite the superficial review below, Globalism Unmasked is neither warmed-over cliche nor Third World chauvinism. The fact that some classic themes carry over to the New World Order, while some do not should surprise no one. Which do, and which don't, however, may. Those readers interested in situating Marxist analysis within the New World Order should find the text both stimulating and rewarding. In fact, "globalization", or its semantic equivalent, is on the lips of just about everyone, while the idea dominates trendy discourse. But the question remains: how is this concept being popularly understood and what are the facts surrounding its sudden emergence. The book's project is to shed some light on these crucial issues.

Clearly, globalization is being sold as an irresistable process, driven by new technologies that make an empire of global capital impossible to avoid. The practical upshot is that resistance should be understood as futile, no matter how negatively a person's life is being affected. The ideological value of this manuever should be obvious, while the value of its debunking should be even more so. Moreover, many on the left have bought into this thesis, rendering the book's counter-thesis a particularly important and timely one.

Behind the buzz-word, the authors insist, lies the old process of imperialism, or Euro-American exploitation. So the wine hasn't changed, only the semantic bottles. Given all the nonsense about an end of history, this is a contention worth considering, and it's the book's burden to defend the thesis. (How well it succeeds should be up to the reader to judge.) But at least, their analysis caused me to re-examine what's behind popular use. Too often globalization is taken as a process driven solely by technology, apart from those social forces in whose interest the new tools are operating. In short, popular usage is encouraged to assume a technological determinism instead of a class-bound determinism, thus closing off alternatives to capitalist consolidation. Or, to risk oversimplifying, it's computers dictating the global process, not corporate greed. As a result, unmasking the concept has the value of reopening alternatives based on the interests of classes other than the capitalist, alternatives which can then serve as a platform for renewing struggle against global cosolidation. And while this is not exactly the argument the authors use, I believe it's one way of understanding their position.

There are relatively fresh topics scattered throughout. For example, NGO"s have emerged as a recent international development, and despite their laudatory press, the text reveals unsparingly the actual role these agencies play in assisting global imperialism. That alone is worth the read. Moreover, the final chapter situating socialism in a post-cold war environment is anything but a stale left-over. Anyone curious about the direction of socialist thinking, given the Soviet experience, should find this discussion of genuine interest.

A key reservation lies in the often high level of abstraction with which the text operates. Specifically, the book is weak on particular case studies. Too often, as in Chapter Four dealing with privatization, the text cuts loose from the sort of case studies that would strengthen the chapter's thesis. Still and all, I don't believe the authors intended this as a scholarly work even though the text draws from a scholarly background. Instead, it's an ideological work intended to reveal the real nature of so-called globalization, and when combined with Chomsky's intensive case studies, presents a powerful overview of North-South relations. Be that as it may, Petras and Veltmeyer's book deserves a more accurate Amazon reception than a mere single and misleading review. All in all, the book represents an important contribution to New World Order analysis and contemporary Marxist assessments, and is well worth the read.

Everything you already knew but were too cynical to ask.......2003-06-01

I didn't get a lot out of this book. I imagine there are plenty of young people who don't know what imperialism is and don't know it's history, so there is a need for such material. But I don't know if this would be the best vehicle for explaining this. It was good to get some of the facts, financial data and so on, but these are doubtless available in many books.
Altogether, it was a bit like going to a Rod Quantock comedy show or a good singing of The Internationale, preferably in Spanish. It makes the Left feel better, but it doesn't actually address the issues or change anyone's mind, if they didn't already know they were right all along.
In 175 pages, there was the mention of a strike in Belgium, a general strike in France and a street demonstration in London, within lists of "Third World" movements, plus an observation that foreign employees of NGOs would be better to go back to their own country and fight their own employers, but otherwise, the only politics discussed was in the "Third World" - the "victims" of imperialism. The implication is that the workers of Europe and the US (and Australia) are going to be rescued by movement of landless peasants in Columbia, or wherever, or not at all.
Given that the whole issue of "globalisation" came into public consciousness in the West as a result of Seattle, i.e., a movement by US citizens, not as a cheer squad for Third World revolutions, but on their own behalf, and not against the state, but against corporations, it is not really good enough to say: "Nothing has changed (except "quantitatively"), this is the same old imperialism that we all had demos against in the '60s and '70s. It's all a lot of globaloney! Regis Debray was right all along."
Of course, the book does not primarily present itself as a book about "how to fight imperialism" but rather to "unmask" the rhetoric of "globalisation" as a lot of baloney. But the political prescriptions that it concludes with, confirm that the writers actually haven't noticed anything new since the 70s, and their program at the end is for Third World movements to take governmental power and lead a revolution from above within the borders of their own country. The value of this, of course, is to say to citizens of such countries that their governments do have a choice, they do not have to be pliant tools of imperialism. OK, but it's so unconvincing, that altogether, the result is likely to be negative.

Book Description

This book enables the reader to understand labor markets and shows how to forecast the need for skills in developing countries. The forecasting of these skills has recently fallen into disrepute with the notion that all forecasting techniques that assessed the labor market requirements of the future were dubious and that the future lay with labor market analysis and labor market signaling. This book disputes this but acknowledges that the models of the past should be supplemented with better data and improved labor market analysis and in doing so produces its own model for analyzing the needs of labor markets.

Labour market planning revisited.(Book Review): An article from: International Labour Review

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Labour market planning revisited.(Book Review): An article from: International Labour Review
Jose B. Figueiredo , and Rene Wery
Manufacturer: International Labour Office
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00082AYTM
Release Date: 2005-07-31

Book Description

This digital document is an article from International Labour Review, published by International Labour Office on September 22, 2003. The length of the article is 698 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Labour market planning revisited.(Book Review)
Author: Jose B. Figueiredo
Publication: International Labour Review (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2003
Publisher: International Labour Office
Volume: 142 Issue: 3 Page: 375(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

"Agricultural Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications" is a newly expanded fourth edition text, providing the latest information in the diversified field of agricultural mechanics with instruction on basic mechanical skills and applications, as well as career opportunities in the profession. Topics covered range from tool identification and maintenance, small engines, electricity, and electronics, to construction and masonry. Readers will find the content presented in a logical, easy to follow format, allowing them to comprehend concepts for use in practical settings. Vividly portrayed illustrations complement this work with the most current full color photos, charts, and diagrams, reinforcing the book's fluid movement between the principles and application of modern agricultural mechanics. The comprehensive appendices also include extensive reference material, making "Agricultural Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications" an invaluable industry resource guide.

Customer Reviews:

not sure if this is the right edition that i'm reviewing.......1999-09-16

as an agriculture student,i find this book to be a very well-written,highly informative book. all ag. teachers should have copies of this.

Agricultural Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications

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Agricultural Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications
Ray V Herren
Manufacturer: Cengage Delmar Learning
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1401859569

Book Description

Agricultural Mechanics: Fundamentals & Applications continues to be the most widely used textbook for high school Agricultural Mechanics programs nationwide because of its student friendly layout and its comprehensive coverage. Topics covered range from welding to tool identification, from diesel engine maintenance to masonry. The units are presented in a logical, easy to follow format allowing students to comprehend concepts and apply them in hands on applications. Objectives and competencies to be developed are included in each section, along with a list of new terms, a materials list, student activities, and self-evaluations. The new fifth edition has been updated throughout to address the changing technologies that help shape the world of agriculture.

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Agricultural Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications
Cooper , and Elmer L. Cooper
Manufacturer: Delmar Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0827322712

Agricultural Mechanics Fundamentals & Applications: Instructor's Guide to Accompany Lab Manual

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Agricultural Mechanics Fundamentals & Applications: Instructor's Guide to Accompany Lab Manual
William Hamilton
Manufacturer: Delmar Publishers
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ASIN: 082736380X

Agricultural Mechanics: Fundamentals/Applications

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Agricultural Mechanics: Fundamentals/Applications
Cooper
Manufacturer: Delmar Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0827368550

Book Description

This volume is a status report based on the presentations and discussions that took place during the 12th Annual Workshop on Computer Simulation Studies in Condensed Matter Physics at the Center for Simulation Physics at the University of Georgia in March 1999. It provides a broad overview of the most recent developments in the field, spanning a wide range of topical areas in simulational condensed matter physics. These areas include recent developments in simulations of classical statistical mechanics models, electronic structure calculations, quantum Monte Carlo simulations and simulations of polymers. New physical results and novel simulation and data analysis methods are presented.

Book Description

This book addresses the Chesapeake Bay as a political problem and reveals how the political process has worked against the interests of science, the public, and environmental advocates all at once. Visit our website for sample chapters!

Customer Reviews:

Finally, a study of what really will "Save the Bay".......2003-08-10

Chesapeake Bay Blues, a book that addresses the Bay as a political problem and reveals how the political process has worked against the interests of science, the public, and environmental advocates all at once. Author Howard Ernst provides a political roadmap for the future, suggesting how a different course of policy action is needed to "Save the Bay."[]

essential reading for those interested in the Bay.......2003-05-24

This book is a must-read for those concerned about the Chesapeake Bay and those interested in environmental politics. Highly recommended.

Chesapeake Bay blues: science, politics, and the struggle to save the bay; How could it be that scientists know so much about the Bay, the public cares ... An article from: The Public Manager

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Chesapeake Bay blues: science, politics, and the struggle to save the bay; How could it be that scientists know so much about the Bay, the public cares ... An article from: The Public Manager
Howard R. Ernst
Manufacturer: Bureaucrat, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Public Manager, published by Bureaucrat, Inc. on March 22, 2004. The length of the article is 4264 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Chesapeake Bay blues: science, politics, and the struggle to save the bay; How could it be that scientists know so much about the Bay, the public cares so deeply about its health, and so many people have worked for decades to protect this national treasure, and yet the ecosystem remains in abysmally poor condition?(REGIONAL GOVERNANCE)
Author: Howard R. Ernst
Publication: The Public Manager (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2004
Publisher: Bureaucrat, Inc.
Volume: 33 Issue: 1 Page: 19(6)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Hiking Long Island: A Comprehensive Guide To Parks And Trails (Hiking Long Island)
Lee McAllister
Manufacturer: New York-New Jersey Trail Conference
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1880775395

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Public Speaking for College and Career with Speechmate CD-ROM 3.0
Hamilton Gregory
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OGOR6S

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