Key to the arguments of the book are numerous reports on climate change, to include a discussion of the massive efforts to deny climate change exists. One report from 2007, from the CNA Corporation lists, among other things that climate change is a threat multiplier for instability in some of the most volatile regions of the world. In addition, the reports states that, "When a government can no longer deliver services to its people, ensure domestic order, and protect the nation's borders from invasion, conditions are ripe for turmoil, extremism and terrorism to fill the vacuum..." Think again about how the right wing in the U.S. persecutes "illegal aliens" and at the same time works so hard to deny that the climate is changing, sounds like they are extremists created when the nation, U.S. can no longer deliver services to its people, services like education for all, housing for all, health care for all...
Another source of information on how to determine failed states is Foreign Policy magazine and The Fund for Peace index, which uses 13 criteria to determine a state's relative failure. They are: mounting demographic pressure (think favelas in South America or the urban slums in India as seen in Slumdog Millionaire), massive population movements, legacies of vengeance, chronic and sustained migration, uneven economic development (in the U.S. the growth of the 1%'s wealth during the Great Recession), sudden economic downturns, corruption, criminalization of the state, deterioration of public services, arbitrary use of state violence and human rights abuses, the relative autonomy of the security forces, factionalism among state elites, and finally, external intervention by other states or para-state forces. Certainly we can see many of these factors playing out in the U.S. to include the one I pointed out, there is arbitrary use of state violence in detaining peaceful protesters leading up to or during every major demonstration in the country. For example, the "NATO 3" are currently under trial in Chicago, see: "NATO 3" Oral Argument Unfolds on Illinois Terrorism Statute's Constitutionality and other actions show the autonomy of security forces to infiltrate legitimate organizations and perpetrate human rights abuses by not declaring "free speech zones" to protect the elite of the G8, NATO, G20, RNC, DNC, etc. from the concerns of the public. Deterioration of public services unfolds as attacks on unions, from teachers to government employees; lack of adequate and affordable health care, thousands of unsafe bridges across the country. Corruption plays out under the scenes as the Citizens United ruling has allowed unprecedented giving to political campaigns by the elite.
As I mention above, the book moves around the globe tracing the impacts of climate change, changing weather patterns affecting tribal herders in Africa, rural farmers in India and Afghanistan, and farmers in the nations south of the U.S. Farmers in areas of Asia used to a dependent Summer and Fall rains to allow growth of two harvests of cotton have seen the season monsoons disappear or appear as devastation. In addition, the farmers of Asia have been hoodwinked by the "Green Revolution" which promised increased yields. Instead it has left in it's wake the removal of nutrients from the soil, requiring farmers to leverage more credit to continue but then face unstable weather. This has resulted in tens of thousands of climate refugees and farmer suicides, many just drink the pesticides they had to purchase on credit because they cannot stand the suffering any more. A promising quote comes from Chief Meteorologist in Kenya, James Muhindi, "The best we can do to adapt to climate change is to maintain our forest cover." He recognizes the vital importance of preventing desertification which is growing the Sahara in Africa and is evident in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya.
The book starts out in Africa where a cattle herder was shot days before Parenti arrived and his body still lay on the dried out ground. Here he discovered and began his linkage of climate change, geographical shifts in populations and the violence that plays out because of these two. Herders from enemy tribes have been forced to try and water their animals in close proximity because the only source of water is a well that an NGO built right near the tribal boundaries. In addition, the breakdown of states such as Somalia have created black markets for guns, ammunition and stolen cattle. The convergence of all of these factors leads back to the dead herder that Parenti starts the book with and continues to refer to throughout the pages.
As he moves to Asia, the collapse of the Soviet Union and political power plays during the Cold War and continuing today as active occupation of Afghanistan and airborne occupation of Pakistan and other countries in the area has lead to destabilization. Farmers who cannot count on required water and instead grow poppies because they get more than they would for wheat but the poppy plant uses 1/6 of the water required for wheat. The continued occupation by U.S./NATO forces which go and destroy this crop only fosters support for the Taliban who support it's growth but tax the farmers who can now make enough to survive when they cannot depend on water for growing other crops.
Finally, Parenti makes his way back to the Americas. Here he starts with the huge contrasts of the massive favelas in Rio that stand in contrast to the massive Jesus statue which overlooks them. He discusses a number of factors that have created the dislocation of farmers, primarily related to unreliable rains (common theme throughout the globe). He also shows how countries forced to take IMF and World Bank loans often ended up in worse because of them. Jumping around the Americas he ends with Mexico before detailing the failure of the U.S. and it's massive empire to set a standard or even begin to work on mitigation to prevent climate change, from the failure to sign the Kyoto protocol to the lack of any concrete decision in Cancun in 2010. He largely focuses on Juarez, Mexico and the crime there as contrasted with the rich suburbs right across the Rio Grande. Climate migrants move to Juarez and attempt to get the the "land of opportunity" by crossing the made up line that is called the international border.
In summary, I would recommend this book for a global look at what has happened so far concerning climate change instead of the largely U.S. based look that we are used to seeing. It's supporting documentation from the scientific community and the lack of critical thinking in the U.S. to acknowledge there is even a problem or to begin to act on the problem is a clear mistake by the political leaders of the country. He lists a number of ways that this could happen to include the government purchasing solar, wind, wave power to provide a boost to these industries which will allow for the prices of household/community investments to decrease and uses IBM as the comparison to show how the government can provide a jump-start to mitigation techniques. Obviously the military budget can be cut in effective ways to allow for this government spending which would create jobs and probably help the economy but with a failure of active leadership in the legislative and executive branches of government we are unlikely to see any action taken without a diverse and large movement to force such change to occur. Also necessary is a re-kindling of critical thinking which has been demonized as a way to keep the status quo. He also mentions taxes, up to Reagan, the top 5% paid over 70% income tax, today that figure is much lower and Obama recently allowed the tax cuts for the elite to continue. This tax revenue could also assist the government fostering of mitigation techniques while funding agencies such as the EPA to actively penalize companies that contribute to global carbon dioxide emissions and other toxins but are not punished for failing to meet requirements.
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