Two months or so ago, Dissident Voice printed an excerpt from the Introduction to The Shock Doctrine, and in reaction to it I posted, “We are all Kleinists now.” After reading the book, I am less enthusiastic, and I share Rosenthal’s reservations. Especially her reservations about Klein’s compulsive liberalism.

Still, I have great admiration for The Shock Doctrine, and I was enchanted by the author’s prose as well as by her astounding synthesis of so many elements of a truly radical critique of contemporary capitalism. We have sorely lacked such a critique.

Deadbeat: I strongly disagree. Follow the money.

Israel exists only because of US funding. The U.S. pays and arms Israel to function as its military base in the Middle East. Whoever controls Middle East oil can dominate all who need that oil. America gives Israel a free hand as a way of strengthening its own power over this vitally strategic region.

And, no surprise here, a portion of the wealth that flows from America to Israel comes back to the U.S. in the form of intense lobbying efforts to keep money and political support flowing to Israel.

However, to believe that Israel directs U.S. foreign policy, and not the other way around, is to misunderstand the nature of modern imperialism and how to combat it.

Racism and Zionism are tools that are used to divide and rule us. While we must oppose these tools, we must not confuse the tools with the masters who wield them, the capitalist class.

I disagree that the war in Iraq was a war for oil. The oil interests were not interested in an invasion of Iraq. In fact they wanted to do business with Saddam and were prevented from doing so.

This was a war for Zionism. Unfortunately many analyses on the left, especially the white left, tend to ignore the role of racism and Zionism especially to imperialism. Imperialism is not always about acquisition it is also about “bombing one back into the stone age” — read: destruction of one’s rivals.

What is happening in Iraq is not different from when whites bombed Tulsa, OK and thus destroyed what was know as “black wallstreet”. Zionists want to eliminate all rivals to Israel and they did so with Iraq as well as Lebanon. Now they have their sights set on Iran.

Racism/Zionism is the ideology that ties what is going on in the Middle East together much more so than oil.

It’s a hell of a book, that’s for sure. It describes the capitalist python perfectly, and the way it tightens its grip after every jolt unto the populace.

This little round spaceship we call Earth needs new management.

So absolutely in agreement with your thoughts.

Klein is an intelligent individual, yet she does not realize that a capitalist, like a leopard, cannot change its spots.

Socialism is the answer to the many problems that plague this world. These problems are not caused by individuals, ideologies, terrorists or whatever else might be blamed. It is Capitalism!