Precis

The New Rulers of the World

The new rulers of the world by John Pilger: talks about the unequal and hypocritical methods in politics of globalization. To begin with Pilger introduces the “new” order, which include “unholy alliance of business interests, imperial repression and media magnates.” He also speaks to the importance of “breaking the silence that protects great power and its manipulations.” A frequent motif which, runs through the book, is “the failure of the mainstream media to report honestly and accurately on such abuses.” “This is no conspiracy, it is simply the way the system works” emphasizes Pilger. The Key Ideas in this book are abuse from Western powers, failure of media to report honestly, governments who hide the truth about what they are doing, recognizing western state terrorism and American power and its goal of world order, and the propaganda that helps drive it. This book uncovers the truths that are hidden from the public eye. Pilger claims that the new rulers of the world are the “World Bank and IMF” in Washington DC. They began offering loans to poor countries if they privatize there economy and allow the west corporations to free access to raw materials and markets.

The new rulers of the world has four chapters, the first chapter deals with Indonesia. How General Suharto took over Indonesia in the mid 1960’s, which lead to the genocide of millions of “Communist sympathizers” and a western planned economy in Asia, this lead to the spread of globalization. The fact that this event was unreported and is widely unheard of is shocking because John Pilger sees it as “the origin of economic globalization in this part of Asia.” This first chapter is one example Pilger gives about the exploitation of cheap labor as the poor get poorer as there income pays the debt there nation owes the west, and the . Before Suharto came to power Indonesia elite wanted to nationalize the economy and isolate themselves from the big corporations in the west. For the West Suharto was a gate way to the endless resources in Indonesia. Without any of the world knowing Britain directly aided Suharto in the mass killings, and supplied them with large amounts of arms. Suharto was so important to the Western powers that he was invited to London by the Queen. Over the years Suharto created a large debt with the western powers, when he finally resigned over thirty billion dollars were missing. Suharto had distributed the money to his corrupt allies and family members. Ever since then Indonesia is in debt to the IMF and World Bank. Every year the Indonesian government pays 1 billion dollars from workers wages to repay the debt that Suharto created. In an interview Pilger talks about a cycle that the workers in Indonesia cannot escape. Indonesia’s economy is so dependent on western corporations that companies such as GAP can pay one dollar an hour wages to their workers in sweat shops, but because the demand for work is so high in Indonesia workers must take what they can get to survive. The working conditions are not up to standards, but the unions in Indonesia are so closely tied to the western corporations that there is no protest from inside the sweatshops.

The second chapter, “Paying the Price”, deals with the horrible situation the Iraqis are in, as a result of “ the West’s medieval twelve-year long embargo since the Gulf War.” Pilger uncovers the true face of Iraq, and explains that they are not a “threat” as propaganda from the Bush administration after 9/11 pictured them to be. In this chapter Pilger says, “that the prosecutors of the so called “terrorists”: are themselves terrorists from a greater league and that their actions will, at the very least, produce more carnage and martyrs.” Pilger exposes the Propaganda that the US army and government were spreading before the 9/11 attacks and the bombing o Iraq. During the bombing of Iraq over half a million children were killed, Bush denies oil as the main reason for the Iraq invasion. The cities are in dust and ashes and all for “paying of sanctions” as Pilger says. The Bush administration has been shining a bad light on the so called “terrorists” ever since Bush senior was President.

The third Chapter, “The great game”, exposes how the western corporations are dependent on state power that protects western markets with military means. The Western Corporations can intervene all around the world, and sell their products, because they are being backed by state power (Air Force, US army). Pilger talks about a “fist behind the hand’, he means that for large corporations the world is safe when they have a “fist” like the marines or US Army to back them so they can flourish. Pilger looks back at the history of Western Corporations; he explains that the big powers at the time were fighting for territory, because that meant power. Western Corporations have no mercy when it comes to money Pilger says, in 1948 America had 50 per cent of the world’s wealth, but only 6 per cent of its Population, this example shows the corruption of the distribution of wealth across the globe. Pilger says it was a game to the Corporation leaders at the time.

In the last chapter, “the Chosen Ones”, Pilger goes back to Australia to part take in a thirty year feud between Aboriginal people and the Australian Government. John Pilger meets with Richard Murray a doctor who treats Aboriginal Patients, who make up 2 per cent of the population. The reason so many Aboriginals have these sicknesses, like rheumatic fever, kidney failure and diabetic blindness, is the circumstances they live in. Dr. Murray says, “Poverty and Dispossession” are the cause of these illnesses. John Pilger also reveals that the Australian government spends 25 % less per capita on Aboriginal health care compared to the rest of the demographic. Pilger sees Australia as the best example of a Nations history being and eradicated. This final chapter shows the mal treatment of Aborigines in Australia the neglect of human rights and respect to a race.