"The Shock Doctrine" The Nation interviews Author Naomi Klein

Written by: Susan Rowe on Nov 28, 2007 12:38 AM EST

From Peter Rothberg, Email Nation  - Nation columnist Naomi Klein's new book, The Shock Doctrine... vividly argues how what Klein coins disaster capitalism -- the rapid-fire corporate re-engineering of societies reeling from shock -- traces its origins to the University of Chicago under Milton Friedman, and saw early expression in Chile in the mid-1970s when Friedman advised Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

Not only were Chileans in a state of shock following Pinochet's violent overthrow of Socialist President Salvador Allende; writes Klein in the November 26 issue of The Nation, the country was also reeling from severe hyperinflation. Friedman advised...impos[ing[ a rapid-fire transformation of the economy--tax cuts, free trade, privatized services, cuts to social spending and deregulation. It was the most extreme capitalist makeover ever attempted.

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The Shock Doctrine

A Short Film by Alfonso Cuarón and Naomi Klein, directed by Jonás Cuarón.

When I finished The Shock Doctrine, I sent it to Alfonso Cuarón because I adore his films and felt that the future he created for Children of Men was very close to the present I was seeing in disaster zones. I was hoping he would send me a quote for the book jacket and instead he pulled together this amazing team of artists -- including Jonás Cuarón who directed and edited -- to make The Shock Doctrine short film. It was one of those blessed projects where everything felt fated. ~ Naomi Klein

Klein will be speaking in Miami, Minneapolis, Los Angeles (with Robert Greenwald), Portland, Oregon and Denver in early December. Click here for details.

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