The New Development Politics: The Age of Empire Building and New Social Movements

by Petras, James F.

• ISBN13: 9780754635390
• ISBN10: 0754635392
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-09-01
• Publisher: Ashgate Pub Co

Summary

A critique of current conceptions of international political economy, the role of the state and contemporary social movements, The New Development Politics challenges the dominant paradigms in the field of development studies. Raising fundamental theoretical and empirical questions, it provides a coherent response to the increasing militarization of inter-state relations, increasing protectionism and inter-state rivalries and the growing age of state intervention in political, economic and social life.The study presents a critical analysis of US empire-building, the role of dirty money and political power, as opposed to technological change. It features a discussion of neo-mercantilism as a new mode of empire and examines the role of new movements of unemployed and landless peasants in key Third World countries.

Author Biography

James Petras is Professor Emeritus at Binghamton University, New York and Adjunct Professor at St. Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Table of Contents

1 Imperialism and Empire-building in the Twenty-first Century	1	(10)
2 The US Offensive in Latin America: Golpes, Retreat and Radicalization	11	(22)
3 Dirty Money: The Foundation of US Growth and Empire	33	(6)
4 The Centrality of the State	39	(16)
5 The Myth of the Third Scientific-Technological Revolution	55	(14)
6 Neo-mercantilist Empire in Latin America: Bush, ALCA and Plan Colombia	69	(12)
7 Peasant-based Socio-political Movements in Latin America (with Henry Veltmeyer)	81	(28)
8 Brazil's Rural Landless Workers' Movement: Ten Hypotheses on Successful Leadership (with Henry Veltmeyer)	109	(16)
9 The Unemployed Workers' Movement in Argentina	125	(14)
10 Non-governmental Organizations in a Conjuncture of Conflict and War Psychosis	139	(12)
11 On Revolutionary Politics	151	(28)
Bibliography	179	(8)
Index	187