A documentary adaptation Naomi Klein's 2007 book, The Shock Doctrine. An investigation of disaster capitalism, based on Naomi Klein's proposition that neo-liberal capitalism feeds on natural disasters, war and terror to establish its dominance.
Based on breakthrough historical research and four years of on-the-ground reporting in disaster zones, The Shock Doctrine vividly shows how disaster capitalism -- the rapid-fire corporate re-engineering of societies still reeling from shock -- did not begin with September 11, 2001.
The film traces its origins back fifty years, to the University of Chicago under Milton Friedman, which produced many of the leading neo-conservative and neo-liberal thinkers whose influence is still profound in Washington today.
New, surprising connections are drawn between economic policy, shock and awe warfare and covert CIA-funded experiments in electroshock and sensory deprivation in the 1950s, research that helped write the torture manuals used today in Guantanamo Bay.
The Shock Doctrine follows the application of these ideas through our contemporary history, showing in riveting detail how well-known events of the recent past have been deliberate, active theatres for the shock doctrine, among them: Pinochet's coup in Chile in 1973, the Falklands War in 1982, the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Asian Financial crisis in 1997 and Hurricane Mitch in 1998.
Increible documental sobre el primate egoísta: nosotros.
This documentary is trying to point out that despite the development of our civilization in this the 21st century, our genetic legacy is still there and the primate we used to be remains in us and determines our lives much more than we suspect.
The human being is not as smart as he thinks and has simply become a SELFISH APE.
A must watch, Want to know what's behind the Greek Debt? Ever heard of 'Odious Debt'? In international law, odious debt is a legal theory that holds that the national debt incurred by a regime for purposes that do not serve the best interests of the nation, should not be enforceable. Such debts are, thus, considered by this doctrine to be personal debts of the regime that incurred them and not debts of the state.
Según el cable del 19 febrero 2010 la seguridad de los centrales nucleares tienen debilidad: no protegen de un ataque de alguién de dentro y el gobierno de España está bastante preocupado con como defenderse de esta posibilidad...
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TAGS: PGOVPRELROSUBJECT: DNI NEGROPONTE MEETING WITH OPPOSITION PSD PRESIDENT MIRCEA GEOANA
Classified By: Amb. Nicholas Taubman for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
¶1. (C) Summary: At a meeting with DNI Negroponte and the
Ambassador, opposition PSD head Mircea Geoana evinced concern
about a posssible post-EU accession malaise in Romanian
politics, with weak and divided governance for the next
several years. Geoana was skeptical about prospects for
early elections and favored creation of a "grand coalition"
of leading moderate parties on the German model. On
attitudes towards the U.S., Geoana said some "rebalancing"
between Romania's "transatlanticist" and "European"
orientations might take place, but geopolitics assured that
Romania's fundamentally transatlanticist orientation was
"safe" for at least two more generations. Geoana argued for a
regional solution to the Kosovo issue, noting that the
international community could move relatively fast on Kosovar
independence if it was linked to a renewed commitment to the
Balkan region as a whole. With EU entry for many Balkan
nations unlikely, NATO had to pick up the slack as default
"mentor" in the region. Geoana argued that Romania was
wasting an opportunity to work with new Eastern European
members of the EU in creating a new "Vilnius Group"
encompassing the Baltics to the Black Sea. On intelligence
matters, Geoana encouraged new links between Romanian
parliamentary committees overseeing the intelligence
community and their US counterparts. End Summary.
¶2. (C) Opposition PSD President Mircea Geoana met with
Director of National Intelligence Negroponte and Ambassador
Taubman October 29. Geoana prefaced the meeting by comparing
Romania's political scene to an ice skating competition;
Romania had performed superbly in the obligatory routines
needed for acceptance into all of the right clubs--WTO, NATO,
and now the European Union--but it was uncertain whether it
could do as well in the "freestyle" segment now that the
constraints of candidacy were lifted. He said Romanian
politics exemplified the lack of an overall strategic vision
among Romania's political leaders as well as a vicious
political culture that stressed the "total demolition" of
one's political enemies.
¶3. (C) Geoana was skeptical about prospects for early
elections, noting that elections for the European Parliament
would likely occur in May 2007, with municipal elections in
June 2008 and a Presidential election taking place in 2009.
President Basescu was alone in pushing for early elections,
hoping to capitalize on his current high popularity ratings.
Basescu also feared that a weak PD showing in future
municipal elections could erode his prospects in the
Presidential contest. Geoana opined that a reshuffle among
coalition partners was possible depending on how long Prime
Minister Tariceanu survived. Tariceanu was weakened, but
still fighting for his political life. Geoana warned that if
Tariceanu goes, Romania could return to the "piranha
politics" of the 1990s, with Basescu installing a more
compliant puppet as Prime Minister.
¶4. (C) Regarding future coalition combinations, Geoana said
that anything was possible, including continuation of the
PD/PNL alliance; a strong PD combined with satellite parties;
a PD/PSD alliance, or even a PSD/PNL government. Two likely
options included a "new majority" centered around Basescu, or
some sort of "grand coalition" akin to Germany. The latter
option (which he preferred) would use as a pretext the need
for mainstream Romanian parties to collectively meet the
challenges of EU membership. A PD/PNL merger was unlikely
given the liberals' pride in their 100-year history and
traditions. Geoana anticipated that the next two and half
years could prove an extraordinarily "unconstructive" time
for Romanian politics, with political paralysis and loss of
momentum after the January 1 EU accession. Romania risked
following in Poland's footsteps in mismanaging the first few
years after EU entry, providing an opening for extremist and
populist voices to dominate Romanian politics in the future.
¶5. (C) On attitudes towards the United States, Geoana said
that Romania was currently so pro-American that one had to
anticipate a future rebalancing between its
"transatlanticist" and "European" orientations. Geography
would never allow Romania to "relax" and hence the current
security construction with the United States was safe for at
least two more generations. He added that the U.S. shouldn't
take Romania's future pro-US orientation for granted or
assume that it would be automatic. Geoana added that while he
didn't like the President, he had to admit that Basecsu was
"solid" with regards to his transatlanticist inclinations.
Geoana also noted the need to develop new institutions to
anchor US-Romanian ties after USAID pulled out. These might
include the Black Sea Trust Fund, the Aspen Institute, even
the Harvard Club.He added that it was not a question of USG
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funding, since there was now a huge network of influential
Romanians who knew and loved the United States, including
many corporate leaders.¶6. (C) On Kosovo, Geoana said that Kosovar independence must
be linked to a "package" of measures for the Balkan region as
a whole. Bringing Croatia into the EU and NATO without
accounting for the rest of the Balkans was the wrong
strategy. With the right "package", the international
community could move relatively fast in terms of fostering
Kosovo's independence, but changing the status quo in Kosovo
must be backed by a renewed commitment to the Balkan region
on the part of NATO and the EU. Geoana was doubtful that
Macedonia or Alabania were capable of qualifying for EU
accession, thus handing NATO the default role of "mentor" to
these states. Geoana argued for a strategy other than just
"punishing" the Serbs, noting that the Serbian military
understood what had to be done, but the Serbian public was
still "intoxicated" with the idea of retaining Kosovo.
Geoana added that the upcoming German EU Presidency was an
opportunity for the United States to work closely with
Chancellor Merkel on Kosovo. The relative weakness or lame
duck status of other European leaders gave Merkel the
opportunity to demonstrate that she could be a "global
leader" on this and other issues. Geoana suggested that with
the right preparation, Merkel would be receptive to working
in tandem with President Bush on a renewed Kosovo strategy as
part of Germany's bid for a successful EU presidency.
¶7. (C) Comparing Russia to "an athlete on steroids" Geoana
said that he saw both Ukraine and Moldova slowly bending to
growing Russian pressure, with Georgia increasingly isolated
through Russian energy politics and other "booby traps" from
Moscow. Geoana also accused President Basescu of harboring
plans to trade Moldovan unification with Romania for tacit
acquiescence to allowing Transnistria to become a Russian-run
"Kaliningrad" to the east. Geoana said Romania was wasting an
opportunity to work with new Eastern European members of the
EU in creating a "new European neighborhood policy" from the
Baltics to the Black Sea, acting as a Vilnius Group writ
large that could influence EU policy towards the East.
¶8. (C) On intelligence matters, Geoana said that the PSD had
agreed to Senator Maior becoming the head of Romania's
internal service. He said that it was "refreshing" to see a
new generation take over the intelligence services given the
need to remove the taint of the Ceaucescu-era Securitate, but
both Maior and SRI Director Saftoiu were inexperienced and
"needed help." He said that he was trying to institute a
"new rule" in Romanian politics that the domestic
intelligence directorship always go to an opposition
politician, adding that this was a "precondition" for sending
"one of our best young guys" for the post. Geoana also
encouraged the DNI to promote contacts between Romanian
parliamentary committees overseeing intelligence matters with
their counterparts in the United States, as this would be an
investment in a more democratic Romania and a better
respected intelligence service.
¶9. (C) Comment: Mircea Geoana's views carrry some weight as
he is the heir presumptive in any future coalition government
involving the PSD. His views on many issues--including his
fundamentally transatlanticist orientation, his comments on
Kosovo, and remarks on the desirability of creating an
Eastern European bloc within the EU--track closely with those
shared by many of his ruling coalition counterparts,
underscoring that what separates the PSD from the ruling PD
and PNL are frequently matters involving personalities,
parties, and political nuance, not ideology or policy.
Geoana's skepticism regarding the likelihood of early
elections, on the other hand, reflects the fact that the
PSD's prospects are not encouraging if President Basescu
succeeds in getting an early election contest. End Comment.
Taubman
Reading the press or listening to the TV news you could be forgiven for thinking that these organisations are tied a the hip. What are the facts? According to Karen Greenberg in Guardian America CiF: "According to the National Counterterrorism Centre, al-Shabaab's links to al-Qaida have not reached the organisational level; it can therefore in no way be classified as a strong partner in the al-Qaida network. To quote from the NCC's website: "While most of [Shabaab's] fighters are predominantly interested in the nationalistic battle against the TFG and not supportive of global jihad, al-Shabaab's senior leadership is affiliated with al-Qaida, and certain extremists aligned with al-Shabaab are believed to have trained and fought in Afghanistan." A summary report by the Council on Foreign Relations concurs: "Experts say there are links between individual al-Shabaab leaders and individual members of al-Qaida, but any organizational linkage between the two groups is weak, if it exists at all."
"I never meant to say that the Conservatives are generally stupid. I meant to say that stupid people are generally Conservative. I believe that is so obviously and universally admitted a principle that I hardly think any gentleman will deny it. "
-- John Stuart Mill
"The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about them. You have to hand it to America. It has exercised a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force for universal good. It's a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis." -
