Rating: 
Summary: Don't forget this one!
Review: With all the hype this week from Richard Clarke's book, those inspired to learn more should read this one next. Paul Krugman's credentials as a respected economist are unquestioned. (Except of course by the right wing whacko's who think his "hatred" of Bush has caused him to lose it) But that, I think, is the crux of the matter. Right wing pundits view any criticism of the admistration as a negative attack. So the more audacious the administration gets (Iraq, deficits, Medicare scandal, Clear skies, etc...) the more virulent the "attacks" seem to be. But Krugman is a numbers guy, and he has no taste for it when the politicians spin them to suit their purposes. So what is an "attack" to them is a reasoned argument to an informed reader. And Paul Krugman is informed. The book consists mostly of columns written between 2000 and early 2003. It is a devastating account of the truth behind the tax cuts and the havoc they will wreak, of Enron and the fallacy of Bush's pronouncements about corporate responsibility. And there is no one better if you want to know the real numbers surrounding the Social Security crisis. (make sure to stay up to date on this front, read his columns for free at nytimes.com ) Turn off the TV news, read this book, get mad, then go do something about it!
Rating:
Summary: Dr. Krugman is on Target!
Review: Others without an axe to grind have done a good job of reviewing this book, but it is necessary to point out again. Krugman is a professional economist who is capable of both political thought and the rigors of a disciplined social science. For those with an economic background, Krugman is always clear when he heads toward economic theory and economic reality, i.e. the areas on which all real professionals agree upon. Krugman has forcefully displayed that this emperor is wearing no clothes ... and what some people think is the beginning of a new American Empire is a chimera in which a few of the favored will be enrichened while millions upon millions of others will be impoverished. And American soldiers will die and lose their limbs in a cynical re-election bid by an incompetent president surrounded by some of the most venal, ideological and evil people ever to enter the Washington arena.
Rating: 
Summary: A great collection of opinion pieces
Review: Paul Krugman, currently an opinion page writer for the New York Times, has collected together many of his opinion pieces from the past few years. His coverage ranges from purely economic topics to government skullduggery. He isn't a big fan of the Bush administration, but his arguments are generally clear and cogent, so readers on either side of the political spectrum should be able to stomach what he says (disagreeing with the conclusions, but not with the method).
It is discouraging to see the direction that the current administration is taking on many fronts, but the underlying theme of deliberate deception behind many of their public pronouncements is disturbing (and continues to be exposed by more recent works).
I would have enjoyed the book more if time had been spent taking the arguments presented in various opinion pieces over the years and reducing them to their minima. While seeing the progression in his opinion is interesting, and at times quite revealing, it can lead to repetition (since the opinion pieces were meant to stand on their own).
Even with this flaw, a book well worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Critical observations by a believer in the system
Review: What is particularly poignant about this work is that Paul Krugman is a mainstream, moderate economist, who is clearly committed to the capitalist and believes in reasonable free enterprise. He is not a half baked neo-Marxist, and his premise is that the depredations of the Bush Administration's economic policies are undermining our economy, and anti-thetical to sound capitalist monetary policies. Krugman clearly notes the disconnect between the rhetoric, and the reality of the Bush administration's policies, and notes the deliberate distortion in order to acquire legislative authorization to enact actions contrary to the public's intent. He notes that this is a radically aggressive government, with a mission to dismantle much of the economic policy that has been the basis of our and social and governmental structure for this century. Particularly unnerving is Krugman's referencing of the Asian and Latin American economies and how parallel policies torpedoed them. The author also points out the free ride Bush has been given by the press, and the irresponsible failure of journalists to do the basic math and point out that this administration's math doesn't add up, and often is outright fabrication. This is a chilling indictment from a well grounded, and respected moderate.
Rating:
Summary: Top Notch
Review: Excellent book. Very informative. We need more authors like this and I wish more people would read them.
Rating:
Summary: An Economist Asks Us to Wake Up
Review: It is always amusing to see who qualifies as "far left" in these Amazon reviews. It seems that anyone who criticizes a Republican is deemed a wild leftie communist. Well, Krugman is certainly not far left, and his dissection of the Bush 2 administration in this book is not radically progressive. Krugman is a fairly mainstream economist. He seems to generally support the trajectory of capitalism: free markets, globalization, liberal trade policies, etc. And indeed, his pieces were fairly sedate when he first began as a NYT columnist. But as the Dubya administration unfolded, Krugman became more and more flabbergasted with the outright fiscal and policy lies that were spewing forth, unchallenged, from Bush and his ilk. For someone who reads a steady dose of progressive media, many of Krugman's observations come as old news. But his strenghth is his style, laser-focused and straightforward. He outlines just how easy it is to tear apart the numbers that the Bush junta passes off as truth. And Krugman seems most upset with his fellow journalists, who give the administration a pass on their ridiculous clowning with the truth. As with any book compilation of columns, one risks re-reading things already seen in real time. But Krugman has added a nice, lenghthy introduction with his overall suspicions about the Bush administration's ultimate goals. Good stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Intresting and mostly correct economic view
Review: _The Great Unraveling_ is a book of columns written for the _New York Times_ by Princeton University Economics professor Paul Krugman. Most of the writing are columns from 2000 to 2003 although a few of the writings come from earlier writings. Since the columns are mostly from 2000 to 2003 the columns deal mostly with the Bush administration's economic policies. Paul Krugman is highly critical of the Bush administration's policies and points out many problems with the policies. Krugman argues that the Bush administrations policies are harmful to the US economy in the long run and that the longer we stay with these policies the worse the economy is going to suffer. Krugman does explain that it's not too late to change the economic policies and avoid large-scale problems that will eventually occur if the policies are not changed. Krugman also shows how the Bush administration when given a choose always chouses short-term political gain over the long-term health of the economy.
The first section of the book is entitled Bubble Trouble. In this section of the book Krugman explains why such high expectations in the stock market during its boom was so unfounded. The problems with other major economic countries, Alan Greenspan's apparent sudden shift in ideology, Bush's tax cut and corruption in our system is all discussed in this section.
The second section is entitled Fuzzy Math. In this section the deception of the Bush administration in getting what it wants economically is pointed out.
The third section is entitled Victors and Spoils. This section discusses how America is divided and how the Bush administration has used the events of September 11 to promote its agenda. The Bush administration often used the events of September 11 to promote things that had nothing to do with September 11 or national security.
The forth section is entitled When Markets Go Bad. In this section Krugman explains that free markets aren't the solution to everything. Krugman explains the California energy crisis, the reality of environmental policy, which is very different than what the white house has been saying, and problems of foreign economies.
The fifth and last section is entitled The Wider View. In this section Krugman explains his position on world trade and looks at the economic policies of other countries and how they compare to the US system.
The book was very good. Each column was well written and easy to understand for people that haven't formally studied economics. The biggest problem with the book is the fact that it was a collection of columns. This made the book less coherent then it could have been if it was just written with chapters. The most coherent part of the book was the sections that were written as the first part of each section.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny americans...
Review: that you even waste the money on a book to write your usually crap about "left","right" and "liberal" politics in the reviews here :) As an economist myself, i think the book itself is very ok and not very special. The funny thing is the reviews of american readers about the book. You are living in such a strange policital system with nearly to differences in your two political parties... and still everyone goes ballistic about "liberal", "extreme left" or "extreme right" positions :) You never encountered a party with really left or right ideas :) Maybe have a look at countries like Italy, Spain or Netherlands :) There you can see real differences in positions... Maybe you will be shocked to see it... but i guess, you guys are still busy to watch your sport news, read diet books and mount credit card debt :)) Open your eyes, learn about the reality in other countries and then you will see reality in USA :))
Rating:
Summary: Radical, Alarming, and Probably True
Review: Krugman starts his book with a bang. He tells us of "Revolutionary Power," the notion of a government that doesn't accept the current system's legitimacy and doesn't follow the usual rules. Although the concept was first written of in regard to 19th century Europe and the author of the idea was a doctoral candidate in 1957 named Henry Kissinger, the description struck Krugman as remarkably similar to what is happening today in America. It seems that the Revolutionary Power acts so out of line with normal diplomacy and politics that other nations and individuals don't realize how radical the RP is. Even when it is increasingly obvious what is going on, people refuse to believe it. The few critics will be dismissed as shrill or hysterical or as conspiracy theorists. Of course, Krugman thinks the current administration may well be a Revolutionary Power. He describes how they (in his view) are turning diplomacy on its head with notions of pre-emptive war and unilateralism. Domestically, he believes that our RP is running huge deficits in order to make Social Security impossible to fund. The Great Unraveling consists mostly of previously published columns, arranged by topic. This makes the text a bit jumpy, since he skips from the year 2000 to 2003 and back again, depending on the subject. Krugman makes a pretty good case for his claims and he explains even complex topics, such as the Enron scandal, and George W. Bush's Harken shenanigans, clearly and concisely. And he brings a calm, rather conservative attitude to some seemingly outrageous ideas. What seems outlandish coming from someone like columnist Ted Rall, for instance, seems perfectly reasonable when the economist Krugman says it. Possibly radical, certainly alarming, and definitely a worthwhile book.
Rating:
Summary: Recycling history?
Review: Those disturbed by intemperate language or emotionally-charged critiques of the Bush regime would do well to consider this excellent essay collection. Krugman's clear logic and firm analyses of economic, social and political policies are incisive and illuminating. Bush's rise to power and actions since achieving the presidency are a "conservative revolution". Krugman sees this regime as casting away long-held American ideals, fomenting class strife in a traditionally classless society and embarking on foreign policies disdainful of global reaction. Bush clearly holds the mass of American society in comtempt, showing favouritism to a limited group of the powerful. Using fear as a primary weapon, Bush's team has assaulted the financial structure, the environment and even American culture itself. As an economic scholar, Krugman opens the series with essays on economic policies - banking, corporate greed and dollar politics. He examines the Asian economic crisis of the late 1990s and draws vivid parallels with the path America is taking. He sidesteps the "everything will be all right - just trust us" mode of economic thinking. He probes into promises and the underlying realities with a surgeon's skill. What he exposes is equally stomach-churning. The American economy, notwithstanding the shrill declarations of the Bush administration, is teetering on the brink. Krugman's descriptive exposure of Bush mathematics ranges from "fuzzy" to "false". Not encouraging for the future. The Bush fallacies, Krugman argues, lie on the backs and wallets of the American populace. And these deceptions go beyond purely economic issues. In the 1930s, another revolutionary's rise to power was greeted by many as a welcome relief from bombast. "He will be forced to temper his earlier pronouncements". Krugman shows how the Bush campaign and administration has foisted the same self-deception by the American public and media. Abetted by the WTC attacks, Bush has wrapped himself in the flag, insulating his declarations from criticism or complaint. The immense switch from a budget surplus to deficit was excused by the needs of the "war on terror". Krugman deftly dissects that argument, displaying the fallacies of logic and fact the public is expected to swallow. Rights are curtailed, monies diverted to special interests and presidential power is unconstitutionally enhanced. It is, Krugman stresses, a time of a "conservative" [read "reactionary"] revolution overthrowing long-standing American traditions. "Yes, Virginia", he says, "there is a right-wing conspiracy". The 1930s revolutionary made ever increasing demands. "Compromise", was known even then as "appeasement". Krugman shows appeasement is a dangerous a policy. Failure to curtail unreasonable demands only leads to further demands. The greedy revolutionary cannot be satiated. In Hitler's day, the issue was "lebensraum" - the quest for more living space. Today, the issue is domestic power over the population, permitting adventurism abroad. Now it's not just "lebensraum" but "corporate lebensraum" - resources access and unlimited opportunity to exploit them with minimal return for the privilege. Then, the appeasers were the politicians of Western Europe. Today, to Krugman's dismay, it is America's media. Informing the public was once the traditional role of the media. Now it is the propaganda tool of corporations with control by only five corporations. AOLTimeWarnerGeneralElectricDisneyWestinghouseNewsCorp as Krugman deems it. This unity reflects the group's alliance as an administration voice. Dissent, a long American tradition, is now curtailed at the source. Bush's policies are excused, supported, even promulgated by a media sharing the exercise of power over the general population. While it might seem an essay collection stretching back several years would strike a discordant chronological note, this is not the case here. By assembling a string of columns, Krugman offers reminders of events that affect us now. Topically arranged, this anthology provides continuity that might otherwise be lost unless you've taken the trouble to collect his work. Krugman is a serious thinker and he's seriously concerned with issues that have meaning to us all. As the world's most powerful nation, it is foolish to assume America's problems lie wholly within her borders. American policies have a distant reach and have already been implemented with military might. In line with any military environment, control of policies, resources and thought are part of the Bush agenda. Bush wants the world to be "like America", but if that model stands on shaky ground, its not a pattern other societies want to follow. Krugman has pointed out the problems, but declares that it's up to the American people to set things right themselves. These are not problems that will be overcome by a new version of "Crusade in Europe".
[stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
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