Books about Antiglobalization from Amazon.com

In the passionate debate that currently rages over globalization, critics have been heard blaming it for a host of ills afflicting poorer nations, everything from child labor to environmental degradation and cultural homogenization. Now Jagdish Bhagwati, the internationally renowned economist, takes on the critics, revealing that globalization, when properly governed, is in fact the most powerful force for social good in the world today. Drawing on his unparalleled knowledge of international and development economics, Bhagwati explains why the "gotcha" examples of the critics are often not as compelling as they seem. With the wit and wisdom for which he is renowned, Bhagwati convincingly shows that globalization is part of the solution, not part of the problem.
This edition features a new afterword by the author, in which he counters recent writings by prominent journalist Thomas Friedman and the Nobel Laureate economist Paul Samuelson and argues that current anxieties about the economic implications of globalization are just as unfounded as were the concerns about its social effects..
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Is globalization being eclipsed by a resurgent geopolitics? Does the war on terror denote the end of globalization or a new phase of militarized globalization? Empire or globalization - are these the right terms to describe the current global order?

The second edition of this highly successful book tests the claims of those who dismiss the continuing significance of globalization through a comprehensive assessment of contemporary global trends. In the aftermath of 9/11, and the war in Iraq, there has been much talk of the end of globalization. Held and McGrew argue that these post-mortems for globalization are entirely premature. They show this by focusing upon the primary structures of world order namely: patterns of governance, organized violence, the economy, culture and environmental degradation. Patterns of inequality, exclusion and domination are also assessed.

Building upon this analysis, the authors present the case for continuing to take globalization seriously as both a description and explanation of our current global condition. They also ask the vital question: can globalization be tamed? Held and McGrew explore whether a more just and stable world order is either desirable or feasible and present an alternative ethical and political agenda for the twenty-first century - a global covenant of cosmopolitan social democracy.

The second edition of this powerful and original book has been comprehensively updated, with three new chapters added. The book will appeal to all those who remain intrigued, confused or simply baffled by the controversy about globalization and its consequences for the twenty-first century world order..
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The Globalization Reader makes sense of a term that has become an all-purpose catchword in contemporary debates. This new edition has been thoroughly revised and updated, with thirty new essays and a new section on anti-globalization movements. The editors have replaced several abstract articles from the first edition with livelier, more accessible essays that reflect the current scholarship. With new case studies, and a more international focus, this second edition is an even better introduction to globalization studies..
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In 1994, indigenous Zapatista rebels emerged from the rainforest shouting "Ya Basta" in defiance of the birth of the North American Free Trade Agreement This band of women and men rekindled a radical resistance movement that was to inspire a whole new generation. From urban street reclaimers in London and land squatters in Brazil, to Indian farmers protesting GM crops and the Italian White Overall Movement, spontaneous uprisings found a shared enemy—global capital.

As events swept from Chiapas to Seattle, Genoa to Bangalore, and summits have been wreathed in tear gas, the new movement has matured into a massive political force—flexible, strategic, and able to resist and adapt to increasingly brutal responses by various states. The editors of this celebratory publishing project have been on the frontline of the movement, working as activists and writers, story chasers and documentarians. A mixture of critical analysis and art book, agitprop, inspirational document, and DIY manual, We Are Everywhere combines innovative graphic design and photographs with texts and interviews with activists, creating a lively, polyphonic insight into the ideas and activities of the movements against capitalism. 10 color and 40 b/w images..
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Dispatches charts Latin America's aspirations and challenges

From the laboratory of neoliberalism-popularly known as "globalization" -Latin America has transformed itself into a launching pad for resistance. As globalization began to spread its devastation, robust and thoughtful opposition emerged in response-in the recovered factory movement of Argentina, in the presidential elections of indigenous leaders and radicals like Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales, against the privatization of water in Bolivia. Across Latin America, people are building social movements to take back control of their countries and their lives.

Dispatches from Latin America reports on countries from Mexico to Argentina to map the contemporary political and social territory. Drawn from the pages of the well-respected NACLA Report, this collection offers a riveting series of accounts that bring new insight into the region's struggles and victories.

With shrewd analysis rendered in accessible language, Dispatches lays plain the complex and vitally important conditions unfolding in 21^st-century Latin America.

Praise for Dispatches

"After suffering half a century of vicious military dictatorship and state terror, and the disaster of rigid adherence to the neoliberal doctrines of the "Washington consensus," Latin America has undergone remarkable changes that offer real hope for a better future. Among the most promising signs are the dynamic mass movements that have engaged the traditionally marginalized and repressed majorities in political and social life as nowhere else, with popular assemblies, worker-run factories, participatory budgets, grassroots political activism, and much more.

The informed and penetrating in-depth studies that appear in Dispatches explore the complex variety of popular initiatives that are taking shape, their achievements and prospects, in what has become perhaps the most exciting region of the world."

NOAM CHOMSKY -author of Failed States and Turning the Tide: US Intervention in Central America

Praise for NACLA "NACLA's Report is an indispensable resource for us as readers, citizens, writers and editors."

VICTOR NAVASKY - publisher of The Nation

"It's a magazine I always grab in a crisis, since it has often been ahead in analyzing and interpreting political trends in Latin America and in Washington."

SEYMOUR HERSH - Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist
"NACLA is an indispensable resource for those of us living in the borderlands. NACLA has always made sense of the senseless, tried to right wrongs, cast light on the shadows. It is a priceless bridge across the borders that continue to separate the peoples of the Americas."

RUBN MARTNEZ - Salvadoran-Mexican journalist and author of Crossing Over

"I would be thrown for a serious loss if I had to make sense of the news from Latin America without having NACLA Report for guidance."

JOHN WOMACK, JR. - professor of Latin American history and economics, Harvard University

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The Movement of Movements charts the strategic thinking behind the mosaic of movements currently challenging neoliberal globalization Leading theorists and activists—the Zapatistas' Subcomandante Marcos, Chittaroopa Palit from the Indian Narmada Valley dam protests, Soweto anti-privatization campaigner Trevor Ngwane, Brazilian Sem Terra leader João Pedro Stedile, and many more—discuss their personal formation as radicals, the history of their movements, their analyses of globalization, and the nuts and bolts of mobilizing against a US-dominated world system.

Explaining how the Global South and the experience of indigenous peoples have provided such a dynamic and practical inspiration, the contributors describe the roles anarchism and direct democracy have played, the contributions and limitations of the World Social Forum at Porto Alegre as a coordinating focus, and the effects of and responses to the economic downturn, September 11, and Washington's war on terror as they affect a "movement of movements".

Contributors include: Cesar Benjamin, Consulta Popular; Walden Bello, Focus on the Global South; José Bové, Confédération Paysanne; Bernard Cassen, ATTAC; David Graeber; Michael Hardt; Naomi Klein; Subcomandante Marcos, interviewed by Gabriel García Márquez; Tom Mertes; Bhumika Muchhala, Students Against Sweatshops; Trevor Ngwane, Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee; Njoki Njehu, Fifty Year Is Enough; Chittaroopa Palit, Narmada Bachao Andolan; Emir Sader; John Sellers, Ruckus Society; João Pedro Stedile, Sem Terra Movement; Immanuel Wallerstein..
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Against the backdrop of Enron and the other high-profile cases of corporate malfeasance, it is easy to paint today's executives as villains and blame big business, and corporations generally, for a wide array of social ills. Is the criticism warranted? Not quite, says Evan Osborne, as he traces the history of anti-corporate sentiment and assesses the fever-pitch hatred, by some, of all things corporate. While not perfect angels, Osborne argues, corporations confer many more benefits to society than ills. Moreover, they are an essential engine of human progress, and longstanding legal principles are more than adequate to address their flaws. And that makes the rising tide of anti-corporate sentiment dangerous. Why? Look at the facts: Large corporations inspire both awe and fear. On the one hand, they create jobs, introduce scientific and technological breakthroughs, open up borders through trade, and provide indispensable products and services that make life easier. On the other hand, many think they undermine the will of the people, encourage bribery and corruption, finance oppressive regimes, ruin values and culture, befoul the environment, and encourage economic inequality. It was no accident that the terrorists of September 11 targeted the World Trade Center, an iconic symbol of American financial power. In this provocative book, Evan Osborne pulls back the curtain to illuminate how corporations have evolved as an essential element of society, and how opposition to them has developed out of proportion--a fire fanned by anti-business activists, the media, and other groups. He sets the record straight, explaining how corporations work, how they have evolved in the context of other institutions, the net benefits they provide--and how to deal with their undeniable imperfections. At the same time, he shows how anti-business claims have become more strident and where these arguments fail to stand up to scrutiny. Osborne also investigates: *Corporate influence over politics and the government. *Corporate influence in the media. *Corporate influence through marketing. *The pros and cons of globalization. *The extent to which business has responded to public demands for social responsibility, and the extent to which free commerce improves society even without such pressure. The result is a fascinating, provocative commentary on our love-hate relationship with business..
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The riot-torn meeting of the World Trade Organization in Seattle in 1999 was only the most dramatic sign of the intensely passionate debate now raging over globalization, which critics blame for everything from child labor to environmental degradation, cultural homogenization, and a host of other ills afflicting poorer nations.
Now Jagdish Bhagwati, the internationally renowned economist known equally for the clarity of his arguments and the sharpness of his pen, takes on the critics, revealing that globalization, when properly governed, is in fact the most powerful force for social good in the world today. Drawing on his unparalleled knowledge of international economics, Bhagwati explains why the "gotcha" examples of the critics are often not as they seem, and that in fact globalization often alleviates many of the problems for which it has been blamed. For instance, when globalization leads to greater general prosperity in an underdeveloped nation, it quickly reduces child labor and increases literacy (when parents have sufficient income, they send their children to school, not work). The author describes how globalization helps the cause of women around the world and he shows how economic growth, when coupled with the appropriate environmental safeguards, does not necessarily increase pollution. And to counter the charge that globalization leads to cultural hegemony, to a bland "McWorld," Bhagwati points to the example of Salman Rushdie, a writer who blends Bombay slang and impeccable English in novels touched by magic realism borrowed from South American writers. Globalization leads not to cultural white bread but to a spicy hybrid of cultures.
With the wit and wisdom for which he is renowned, Bhagwati convincingly shows that globalization is part of the solution, not part of the problem. Anyone who wants to understand what's at stake in the globalization wars must read In Defense of Globalization..
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