The Ordinary Person’s Guide to Empire

Arundhati Roy has guts. This is a collection of speeches and essays delivered intelligently, without fear, and in the face of a vast, multifaceted Empire. We need more people like Ms. Roy. This world would be a much better, and more honest place.

Great

powerThe key notions in Arundhati Roy's texts are also the key elements in the history of mankind: power and powerlessness.Power means survival, physically and morally, in the struggle for life on the political, economic, social and, of course, individual front.meansThose in power have the means to survive, to extend their hegemony or to crush the opposition: wealth, weapons (of mass destruction), armies, media monopolies, transnational corporations and national and international long arms (intelligence services and secretive institutions like the IMF, the World Bank or the WTO).policiesThrough their media monopolies the powerful create a `controlled' reality, `a lunatic asylum'.They send their hypocritical rhetoric of `free markets, justice and freedom' all over the world. But in the name of freedom and justice, they wage war and kill millions of human beings.Free markets are protecting `western markets and force developing countries to lift their trade barriers, the poor are getting poorer and the rich richer.' More, free markets undermine democracy: transnational corporations `cannot push through highly profitable deals without the active connivance of the State machinery of corrupt authoritarian governments in poorer countries.'There is no globalization of human rights, but only of money, patents, goods and services.There is erosion of freedom: civil liberties are being suspended in the name of protecting democracy under the veil of `The War on Terror.'opposition, democracyBut, (non-violent) dissent had already clear results: it forced the powerful to drop their masks. It made them stand naked.`The corporate revolution will collapse if we refuse to buy what they are selling. We are the many and they the few. They need us more than we need them.'Ultimately, the only means to break the stranglehold by those in power is true democracy (one man, one vote).We need Arundhati Roy's mighty voice.This book is a must read for all those who want to understand the world we live in.

I come across this book in 2004, when I received it as "freebie" from New Statesman magazine. Instantly, on reading it, I was hooked with Arundhati Roy's writing style of being emotive, passionate, poetic and very powerful.The book is excellent & though-provoking with the separation of political facts from myths and at the same time being honest about the world we live in post 9/11. It also covers the issue of power and powerlessness which to me means the need for the poor to survive in physical, moral, social, economic and political levels. Arundhati Roy's (AR) readings of American Linguist/Philosopher Noam Chomsky entitled: "Manufacture of consent" & "Reason of State" clearly shows the re-writing (out) of history of what really happened to American native Indian race and the American invasion of South Vietnam in 1962 is very telling of what most recent events (2001-2003) in Iraq, Afghanistan and how they will be remembered.AR's sharp analysis of the media monopolies by the few & very powerful transnational forces that send out hypocritical rhetoric of: 'free-market'; 'justice' and 'freedom' all over the world is very helpful. Furthermore, AR argues that the third world's corrupt authoritarian regimes within poorer countries have on most occasions colluded with transnational companies and "there is no globalisation of human rights but is about money, patents, goods and service". Additionally, AR argues that the "erosion of freedom and civil liberties" has been suspended in the name of protecting democracy under the so called "War on Terror".Finally, AR's answer to this hypocrisy of 'democracy' & true democracy is (one man, one vote) and we need to stop buying from those who oppress us and: "We are many they are few. They need us more than we need them"!

I wish there were more thinkers in this world like Arundhati Roy. This book is a collection of the Indian scholar and activist's speeches and addresses, in which she discusses poverty, the global effect of the Bush administrations abuse of American foreign policy, and especially, what a concerned person can do to help other people. It is neither patronizing nor particularly challenging, it is instead crisp and perfectly judged.This book serves as much as a bristling manifesto and impassioned call to (intellectual) arms as it does a handy source of wonderful quotes and reliable data for students and activists alike. I would recommend this book to anybody, even and perhaps especially to you if you have ever wondered "what can I do to change the world for the better?" or "Just what are all those liberal tree-hugging hippies on about anyway?" or "Why can't we all just get along?"The book is insightful, Roy is a razor sharp mind and an excellent writer, her words are clear and accessible and everything is designed for maximum impact. This book is not written for the intellectual, nor the politician, nor even the high minded, idealistic student. This is a book written for everybody, it is a rebel yell, a rallying cry and just maybe, the promise of a better world.Short, sharp and to the point (unlike this review)