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Book Review

Informed but ultimately unconstructive criticism

PROFIT OVER PEOPLE - NEOLIBERALISM AND GLOBAL ORDER by Noam Chomsky. Pub: Seven Stories Press, New York, USA, 1999. Pp: 175.
Abdullah Abubakr

Noam Chomsky’s status as an acceptable rebel at the heart of the west is well-established, dating back to his role in anti-Vietnam protests in the 1960s. He is a ubiquitous figure on the left-wing and ultra-liberal dissident circuit in America, Europe and the rest of the western world, while also holding a tenured professorship in the department of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Like most of his recent books, this volume is a collection of previously published essays addressing many of his familiar themes. The first is on ‘Neoliberalism and Global Order’. In this he discusses the ‘neo-liberal Washington consensus’ which he defines as "an array of market oriented principles designed by the government of the United States and the international financial institution that it largely dominates, and implemented by them in various ways - for the more vulnerable societies often as stringent structural programs." He provides a clear, detailed and impressively sourced analysis and expose of the objects and strategies that western institutions use in pushing this ‘consensus’ in order to manipulate the global economy for the benefit of the wealthy white elite of the western world.

The second essay is on ‘Consent without Consent: Regimenting the Public Mind’. In this, he discusses how western elites use techniques of marketing and public relations to convince people in western countries to accept - indeed, demand - policies which actually serve the elites’ interests rather than the peoples. Chomsky ruthlessly dissects the arrogant, self-interested and often racist attitudes which underpin the west’s use of these techniques against the people of other countries too. Once again, the essay is clearly written and well sourced throughout, which is no more than people have come to expect from Chomsky over the years.

The third essay is ‘The passion for free markets’. Further explanation seems unnecessary. The fourth is ‘Market Democracy in a Neo-liberal Order - doctrines and realities’, which covers much of the same ground as the first two essays. In the process, however, it brings in new examples, particularly with reference to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

The fifth essay is on the Zapatista Uprising: the protests which exploded in Mexico against the effects of NAFTA on the Mexican economy. The sixth, entitled ‘The Ultimate Weapon’, focuses on the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI), which was linked to NAFTA and developed under a veil of secrecy in order to prevent popular resistance to its implications for ordinary working people. The final essay, ‘Hordes of Vigilantes’, focuses on official attitudes towards people such as himself and others who mobilised opposition to the NAFTA and MAI policies, and shows the limits of free speech and democracy in modern America.

All this is ground which Chomsky has covered many times before. Nonetheless, it will be fascinating to the uninitiated. His thorough referencing is also always useful. However, seasoned Chomsky readers (and he has been writing on these subjects for more than 30 years) will find much of it familiar. The flaw in his work is now patently obvious: the fact that he can offer no alternative to the system he excoriates, except a return to the same ‘democratic’ ideals which he himself has so often proved so hollow.

Muslimedia: July 1-15, 1999


Article from

Crescent International Vol. 28, No. 9

Rabi' al-Awwal 17, 14201999-07-01


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