How to Kill a Country: Australia's Devastating Trade Deal with the United States [Paperback]

Linda Weiss (Author), Elizabeth Thurbon (Author), John Mathews (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2005 | ISBN-10: 1741145856 | ISBN-13: 978-1741145854

Seriously criticizing the Free Trade Agreement between Australia and the United States, this examination surveys the consequences of the agreement for Australia's medicine prices, agricultural exports, and royalty payments along with the effects of the agreement on other parts of the Australian economy. While analyzing these issues, the authors also make the overarching argument that the agreement will destroy Australia's culture and turn her into a subservient appendage of the United States.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Linda Weiss is a professor of government and international relations at the University of Sydney. She is the author of four books, including Catching the Wave and The Myth of the Powerless State. Elizabeth Thurbon is a lecturer in the School of Politics and International Studies at the University of New South Wales. John Mathews is a professor of strategic management in the Graduate School of Management at Macquarie University. He is the author of several books including Tiger Technology.

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: Allen & Unwin (October 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741145856
• ISBN-13: 978-1741145854
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,223,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars overwrought fears, February 6, 2011

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How to Kill a Country: Australia's Devastating Trade Deal with the United States (Paperback)

Perhaps the passage of a few years since this book came out help show that its fears were overwrought. The overall tone of the book argues that the Free Trade Agreement between Australia and US was deeply unfavourable to Australia. Ok, some passages are soberly stated. But typically in the text, the concerns centred on the hollowing out of the Australian manufacturing base. The main assumption is that this deserved special protection in the face of supposed overwhelming American competition.

Granted, American manufacturers have a home market 15 times larger than Australia's, giving them a deeper economy of scale. But this ignores the idea of comparative advantage. Australia's strength is in its mining and agriculture. As evidenced by the ongoing years of prosperity, compared to the US falling into its deepest recession since the Great Depression. If Australia's manufacturing had shrunk after this book was printed, it was mostly due to competition for labour from the latter 2 industries, especially mining, and the difficulty of competing with other nations' finished goods. Especially China, with a much lower labour cost structure.

On the book's argument that 'Buy Australian' would be replaced by 'Buy American' for government procurement, that was an exaggeration. The actual intent was to offer a neutral environment, where the Australian government tenders would neither favour or disfavour a tender from companies in either country.