Customer Reviews

Power Politics (Second Edition)

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In Power Politics, Arundhati Roy gives us a window onto India from which we can see international corporations, the judicial and political systems of India, and most poignantly, the human beings affected by these powers. In this depiction of the opposition of power and people, those of us who are sympathetic to people will have our eyes and our hearts opened by this amazing young writer's clear, polite emphatic voice, while those aligned with the power side may find a rationale to dismiss Ms. Roy's prose with the callousness of the Enron executive who authorized $13 million to 'educate' Indian politicians about the virtues of dams that would destroy the homes of millions and shackle the people to enormous long term debt in exchange for the capacity to produce energy at prices far beyond the people's capacity to pay. Of course, the implications of Power Politics go beyond the borders of India. Preferable to The Cost of Living which is also excellent.

This is a series of lectures and essays, similar in direction and topic to "The Cost of Living." As someone who deeply enjoyed "The God of Small Things," and who was intrigued and excited by "The Cost of Living," I found that I agreed with much of what the author had to say here. However, I fear that she may lose some of her audience, or at least some of her credibility with that audience, because of her increasingly strident tone and deliberate subjectivity.

On the other hand, I'm sure that she doesn't care. In fact, a good portion of the essays are dedicated to her perception of the role of the writer in society, and she states in them her belief that she must say what she feels must be said. Because she is unafraid of alienating her audience-- much of which must have been surprised by the unpleasant realities of the nonfiction, after the dreamy, nearly magical-realist novel that introduced her to the world view-- and because she tries as much as possible to write and speak truth without regard for the consequences, I'll read anything that she writes.

Arundhati Roy bristles at being called a "writer-activist" (too much like sofa-bed, she says), but the rest of us should be grateful that the author of "The God of Small Things" is taking on the establishment, here and in India.

Part of Mrs. Roy's greatness is that she is not colored by the partisan debates that influence the dialogue on issues such as globalization in America. She is an equal-opportunity critic, taking on Clinton and Bush. Although other authors pledge no allegiance to either side of the aisle, Roy has a fresh perspective, and has a take on globalization that I haven't found in works by American authors.

This book is set up as a collection (a rather random collection) of several essays. The first essay gives a wonderful perspective of globalization (ie. the expansion of American business interests) from a foreign perspective. She examines the impact of the global economic movement on the actual people being affected by it at the lowest level. She reveals the influence of the privatization of the electric industry through the eyes of India's poorest citizens.

The second essay goes in-depth into politics in India, primarily addressing the enormous number of dams being built in the country, and the impacts (economic, environmental, social) that they will have. Mrs. Roy explicitly recounts how Enron scammed the Indian government into building new power generators, and how this will cost India hundreds of millions per year while lining the pockets of American business interests.

Critics will say that "Power Politics" is devoid of hard facts and analysis, but there can be no doubt that this book is worth a read. She may lack the economic background of Stiglitz, but her passion and style, in addition to her ability to articulate the important issues in the globalization debate in a readable manner, will be appreciated by anyone with an interest in global economic expansion.

As someone who is admittedly and shamefully, completely ignorant about the current socio-political situation in India, I was nevertheless nearly moved to tears at the heroism of how so many displaced villagers gathered up the courage to protest the outrages of being forced to abandon their homes due to pointless and environmentally-harmful "big dams"

I also felt great outrage over how unfairly Roy was being persecuted by her own government and courts for simply writing what she believes in. However, through her bravery, she never even contemplates leaving her country for greater personal (or economic)security but stays on to fight the good fight. Truly commendable person. And this is a powerful book surely not to be missed.

Roy is a great author, and she commands her energy to making us aware that we really should evolve as a race. Her insights in the "Bush Regime" are scary, I did not know how terrorizing Rumsfeld/Cheney policies were. If you are consverative or liberal, this is a book to read. It is time we (Americans) really take back our terrible (double standard) foriegn policies which are now affecting us regular Americans.

It is worth the read just for Roy's lively writing, completely unique, full of personality, and full of passion on the subject. But it is even more worth the read because of the commentary. It is rare to get such well-researched, well-thought out insight from a the perspective of one who has experienced some of America's third world itinerary first-hand. From a city-wide 'sweep the dirt under the rug' during Clinton's visit to globalization, Roy brings a new twist to the glory we call american politics. While this is far from an objective viewpoint, it is also a most important read.

A B S O L U T E L Y ~ A M A Z I N G

This book is first and foremost a case study of the "civil war" being waged against many Indian citizens by their own government, in the name of development. Asside from that, this book is also a work of art. A gifted writer and profound thinker who has taken up the pen for the sake of social justice. If you can't afford it, write me and I'll loan you my copy!

Still wondering if corporations are calling the shots in the global economy? You won't be after reading this book. And don't be fooled because some of the book focuses on India - the same industrializing machinations are at work in every country on the globe. The `power' referred to in the title has to do with dams being built on major rivers throughout the developing world, but the politics of corporate money and influence go far beyond dams.

One of the best parts of reading this book is Roy's consistent use of visual imagery. For example, in the section titled "The Reincarnation of Rumpelstiltskin," Roy makes the following statements:

"(It's common knowledge that water is becoming a scarce resource. One billion people in the world have no access to safe drinking water.) The "market" decrees that the scarcer something is, the more expensive it becomes. But there is a difference between valuing water and putting a market value on water. No one values water more than a village woman who has to walk miles to fetch it. No one values it less than urban folk who pay for it to flow endlessly at the turn of a tap."

Roy's passion, intelligence, and commitment to social justice shine throughout every chapter. If you've ever heard her speak, you can imagine her saying the words in her soft voice as you read them.

For A. Roy, a writer has the responsibility to take sides overtly.
In these violent diatribes, she tears the masks of the `missionaries to redeem the wretched' and of those preaching privatization and globalization as the one and only solution for the whole world's economic problems.

The hypocrisy of globalization
For A. Roy, globalization has nothing to do with the eradication of poverty. It will not pull the Third World out of the stagnant morass of illiteracy, religious bigotry or underdevelopment. In India, 70 % of the population still has no electricity and 30 % is still illiterate.
Globalization means crudely and cruelly `Life is Profit'. `Its realm is raw capital, its conquest emerging markets, its prayers profits, its borders limitless, its weapons nuclear.'
Privatization (of agriculture, seeds, water supply, electricity, power plants, commodities, telecommunications, knowledge) consists only in the transfer of productive public assets from the State to private interests (transnational corporations).
The globalization's economic agenda `munches through the economies of poor countries like a cloud of locusts.' One example: by hugely subsidizing their farm industries, the rich countries put impoverished subsistence farmers in the Third World out of business and chase them into the cities.

The hypocrisy of the war against terrorism
For A. Roy, the rich countries are the real worshippers of the cult of violence. They manufacture and sell almost all the world's weapons and possess the largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction (chemical, biological, nuclear).
At the head of ICAT (The Coalition Against Terror) stays a country which spends mind-boggling military budgets to fight a few bunches of manipulated terrorists created by the hegemon himself. It committed `the most of genocides, ethnic cleansing, and human rights violations. It sponsored, armed and financed untold numbers of dictators and supports military and economic terrorism.' Its aim is full spectrum dominance.
But, as Paul Krugman remarked, the replacement of the Cold War issue by the (manipulated) terrorism one as a justification for massive military spending was (and is) a very big failure.

Arundhati Roy's bitter and angry texts are a must read for all those who want to understand the world we live in.

This is the first time I read a book written by Ms Arundhati Roy. After a long time I read a book so fast. Since last year's financial crisis, I'm trying to understand a little about economics, banks, capitalism, socialism, innovation, cheap labor etc etc...and then I stumbled upon this book. It's a shame for Indian politicians, elected officials, elites to not care about the villagers and tribal population, it's a shame that India in terms of development still doing things which used to happen in the developed world 60 years ago.

I always wondered why India is not progressing much in terms of scientific and technological innovation, and she explained that with the example of BHEL. That is an eye opener for me.

It would be interesting to know what she thinks when so called socialist Obama is the president of USA, and the feudal party of Congress is ruling India. She does not talk much about the corporate oligarchy or the western banking cartel or federal reserve or the US dollar being the world's reserve currency or the rumor of new world order for totalitarian democracy. It would be interesting if she writes another book in the contemporary context.