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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 305.5
EAN num: 9780470098288
ISBN number: 0470098287
Label: Wiley
Manufacturer: Wiley
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 304
Printing Date: December 01, 2006
Publishing house: Wiley
Sale Popularity Level: 152391
Studio: Wiley
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Acclaim for The Global Class War
'You will never think about 'free trade' the same way after reading Jeff Faux's superb book. As Faux makes clear, the globalization debate is really about whose interests are served by global elites, and how we need to go about reclaiming a democracy that serves ordinary people. This book should transform public discourse in America.'
-Robert Kuttner, founding coeditor of the American Prospect and a contributing columnist to BusinessWeek
'Jeff Faux's astonishing story of how class works will scandalize the best names in Wall Street and Washington-especially the much admired Robert Rubin, who along with other elites colluded behind the backs of ordinary citizens in Mexico, Canada, and the United States. The most cynical Americans will be shocked by the sordid details. This really is an important book.'
-William Greider, author of The Soul of Capitalism and Secrets of the Temple
'Globalization is a cover for American imperialism, but the beneficiaries are not the American people at the expense of foreigners but corporate executives at the expense of working-class and poor people wherever they may be. Jeff Faux offers a comprehensive and devastating analysis.'
-Chalmers Johnson, author of The Sorrows of Empire
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Rated by buyers 
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Mr. Faux does a superb job of explaining the NAFTA debacle and it's far-reaching implications for not only America, but our neighbors as well.
He describes neo-liberalism as a vision of society in which competition for wealth is the only recognized value and virtually all social decisions are left to unregulated markets.
NAFTA was an oppurtunity for America's elites to make the rules in a global economy that would benefit them and their corporate clients.
The author details how Bill Clinton lied about getting labor and environmental protections and then betrayed the unions and workers who helped him get elected. This came back to haunt him when he needed assistance on the health care issue. He followed some terrible advice on what to make a priority early on.
An interesting tidbit was Ken Lay's connections in the Clinton White House.
Mexican governmental corruption and narco-trafficking is another topic that is covered in this book. The known side-effect of NAFTA of stimulated drug trafficking.
NAFTA's biggest goal was to chase down profits and cheap labor anywhere in the world. An excellent example is the Sunbeam Corporation and Mr. Coffee.
The American workers were dumped for cheaper Mexican labor, and the Mexican labor was eventually dumped for even cheaper Chinese labor. Other human collateral damage were the small Mexican farms.
Another aspect of NAFTA is the ever-changing "benefits" of it. First the myth of gaining jobs. Now the "benefit" after job losses is cheaper prices. The abstract model simulations used to promote NAFTA are explained effectively by the author.
A poignant view of winners and losers of NAFTA was on page 156. "Both the American, Robert Rudin, and the Mexican, Roberto Hernandez Ramirez, were winners as a result of NAFTA. Aaron Kemp, an American who lost his job at Maytag, and Salvador Chavez, a Mexican who lost his life crossing the border, were losers."
Along that line was a priceless quote on page 140. "The most convincing judgment on NAFTA, however, comes from Mexicans themselves, who continue to cross the border in large numbers because they can't support themselves and their families back home."
The further merging of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico is considered in detail. It's a plan known as the "North American Union". Mr. Faux only uses that term once, but it is getting wider exposure. The author believes that implementation of the plan is inevitable, that's debatable as awareness and resistance increases.
As he puts it on page 219- "But the elites of North America are also caught in their own trap."
"The Global Class War" is the most detailed and best book on NAFTA and what the future may hold. Highly recommended!
Rated by buyers -
The Global Class War by Jeff Faux pulls no punches and takes no sides -- other than siding against NAFTA and the WTO. It's about the inner-workings of NAFTA and the WTO, filled with in-depth info. on how they came to be, who fought for them, who fought against them and ultimately how Bill Clinton got them passed with the same Dem House and Senate that had voted against NAFTA under Republican Presidents Reagan and Bush. It's an absolutely incredible book and the very first and only book that I've read from front-to-back 3 times in less than 2 years. This one was missed by a lot of people -- most likely because it places blame on both Republican (Reagan, Bush and W. Bush) and Democratic heroes (primarily Clinton and Gore), thereby making it hard to find an audience of anyone in the partisan battle of political books. The last book that should be overlooked by anybody has somehow went unnoticed by nearly everybody, which is very sad and unfortunate. It's an amazing piece of work that was, quite amazingly, almost entirely missed and, if you're reading this now, add it to your cart. Don't let this one pass you by.
Rated by buyers -
Jeff Faux does a masterful job of revealing in detail the heinous raping of the American people (and the rest of the world's people) by the richest elites. After reading this book, no one can ever again pretend to be ignorant of the the deception being perpetrated by the richest of the rich using multinational agreements such as NAFTA to make democracy anywhere irrelevant. Transnational corporate interests trump everything, and it is too late to go back short of an asteroid hitting the earth. However, the author does make a good case for continental unification that I had previously dismissed; it is just doubtful to me that this can be achieved while restoring the democratic voice of the people. In conjunction with this book I recommend finding "The Wizards of Money" audio series online by "Smithy" who in 22 episodes explains just about everything one needs to understand about the complex financial techniques used to deceive us all. [...]
Rated by buyers 
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Basically, a lot of governmental decisions (such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA) get made by the "governing class", an insular group of government officials closely linked with the business world; alternative viewpoints (such as labor or environmental concerns) tend to be minimized. This results in outcomes that are not only detrimental to individuals and society in general, but can also backfire and hurt business as well (higher health care costs and the loss of the US steel industry are examples given).
NAFTA promised "good jobs" (many tied in to the import/export business), for Americans and Canadians, as well as better job opportunities (and less illegal immigration) for Mexicans. What happened, though, was a lot of manufacturing moved from the US to Mexico, where the lower wages paid did little to stimulate the economy. Mexico was hurt further when manufacturing, ever in search of cheaper labor, moved production to Asia.
There is also discusion about global organizations such as the WTO and their meetings in Davos. Same clubbiness, but on a worldwide basis. Labor, etc. is again shut out or co-opted by business, and what opposition there is often ends up ineffectual.
Even the US invasion of Iraq had a basis in developing markets for multinationals, not just oil and/or military strategy.
The subtitle states "How America's Bipartisan Elite Lost Our Future". The author does blame Clinton as much as he does Bush (41) for ramming NAFTA through over the objections of labor, environmental and other concerned groups. (Canadian and Mexican leadership, including the high level of corruption in Mexico, are also called to task) And he points out that almost as much corporate money flows to Democrats as it does to Republicans.
But he does save most of his opprobrium for the right: the "think tanks of the 1970's, followed by Reagan and Thatcher; the rise of the religious right; Friedman, etc.
Finally, the author puts forth his plan to "Win it back": a "Continental Democracy", essentially a reformed version of NAFTA with labor, environmental, and human rights provisions explicitly written in and enforced. In addition, a "Citizens Continental Congress" would be implemented. The three countries would be divided into several geographical regions, some of which would cross national borders ("Nine Nations of North America" anyone?). Sounds like part of a plan, but actaully "belling the cat" (i.e. getting the governing class to listen, let alone implement it) is left as an open exercise.
Rated by buyers -
The premise of this book is that the global elites are more loyal to their own class than to their country of origin (see the discusion of universal health care in America under Clinton) and the conclusion is that the working class will be hurt more by the coming economic catastrophes in America than will the global elite who are the cause. In between those "well, duh" moments is a reasoned and thorough exposition of how NAFTA came into being and the consequences for the working class, especially in Mexico. Faux presents the differences between the Keynsian model and the social Darwinism under which we struggle at present. My dad was a professor of Economics, and a follower of Keynes, and he would have endorsed this book. Unfortunately, I think that Faux's idea of a North American union, while deserving of consideration, will not be accepted by US citizens.
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