“The Collapse of Globalism is a good attempt to disrupt the monotony and the laziness of contemporary philosophers, politicians and – naturally – diplomacy. The world might not be flat after all, as some would argue, and history has definitely not come to an end as others once claimed.”

Saul makes “a forceful case for [Globalization’s] recent demise.”

“his finest work to date.”

“Saul writes about all this with neither the hard edge of an ideologue nor the smug superiority of one whose elite perch in society allows him special access to power (though indeed, it does). Rather, his arguments, which are bound to bring derision on his head from some who inhabit ivory towers, penthouses and skyscrapers, are offered in prose which is gentle, elegant and steadfastly clinical.”

“Recognizing that the death of an icon as pervasive as globalization may be difficult to accept for both its proponents and its critics, Saul brings together abundant evidence that the idea was coming apart, even as it grew.”

“a fresh and sophisticated analysis.”

“Saul’s post mortem on globalization is a searing account of the chaos, injuries and instability that have followed it. Despite this, he ends on a hopeful note, one that shows great faith in human resilience.”

“The Collapse of Globalism is a seminal book, one that ought to bring international appreciation to its author and to Canada. With this lucid, graceful and humane work, he takes his rightful place among this country’s enduring critical voices: Marshall McLuhan, Harold Innis and Northrop Frye, for example.”

“delightfully witty”

“An ambitious take-no-prisoners assault on the three-decade-long experiment with global trade. It is nothing if not courageous”

“Clearly, this book with its big-picture perspective has much to offer. It is a wonderful read, chock-full of penetrating insights, and Ralston Saul has a magical ability to humanize the complex ideology of globalization and neo-liberalism.”

“You can choose to agree or disagree with Saul as to whether these policies have produced quality of life gains in Canada or eroded our sovereignty and increased social inequality. It’s harder to take issue though with Saul’s devastating account of the impact of economic globalism on the Third World.”

Interview in The Tribune (Chandigarh), “His latest, very celebrated book.”

The Hindu Business Line, “Essential economics, engagingly told!”

“John Ralston Saul’s book analyses the complex nature of globalism in all its relevant aspects. He makes a balance sheet of globalism’s failures and successes through its modest beginnings in the 1970s, its spread in 1980s and its triumph as an ideology (globalism) in the 1990s. He also takes a critical look at recent doubts over globalism as an all-pervading ideology.

As he says, ‘When a grand idea or ideology is fresh and the sailing is easy, even the most serious proponents make all-inclusive claims on its behalf. This grand view makes it easier for them to impose the specific change they want. When things become more complicated, as they do, the same advocates retreat to more modest claims, while still insisting on the central nature of their truth and its inevitability. Many will angrily deny they ever claimed more.’

The trajectory of globalism so far bears out this observation. The real question is: will globalism disappear?

Saul, in this superbly written book, would not like that to happen. But he is no blind advocate of globalism either. He takes a rational view of globalism as an idea, its practice so far, against historical background and geo-political forces that have shaped its trajectory. As he says, ‘So which part of globalism belief will disappear and which will stay, we have no idea.’

He advocates ‘positive nationalism’ that is imbued with right spirit and strong ‘values.’ Knowing each other and acting in the public interest would then be positive nationalism and by extension positive internationalism. There is a whiff of the old vedic idea of the ‘world as one family’ in this expectation. If the expectation materializes, globalism will succeed in crumbling walls of narrow nationalism and pernicious protectionism for a better world of tomorrow.

Much depends on how different nations and peoples look upon globalism. For a fresh understanding of globalism in a new light, John Saul’s book is a must read.”

“In nearly 300 pages of easy-flowing but brilliantly erudite prose, John Ralston Saul has outlined the history of Globalism, from its birth in the nineteen seventies, its rise, its heyday in the eighties, its decline in the early nineties to its ultimate demise by the turn of the century.”

“The reality is that the rich-poor divide is alarmingly widening in India and providing sustenance to disaffection; movements like naxalism are gathering pace, with potential for catastrophic consequences. In the last few months, after Saul’s book has been released, China is reported to have taken very high level serious policy decisions of far-reaching consequences, giving primacy to removal of poverty, reduction of the rich-poor divide and generally to focus on human development areas. Saul is even more valid on India and China, than he imagines.”

“The book is riveting reading, and cannot be dismissed as at the ravings of a mad man. It should be made required reading fro all Indian policy makers, Indian economists of whatever persuasion and indeed all concerned Indians.”

No hay razón para salvar a los bancos

“Toronto philosopher-king John Ralston Saul is troubled. Early reviews of his new book, The Collapse of Globalism, have been too positive for comfort.

Saul, a long-standing foe of globalisation’s cheerleaders, is used to being the pariah of the establishment. Recently a business journalist likened reading his work to sharing a lift with a suicide bomber. So the plaudits make him wonder whether his message that globalisation is toast hasn’t hit hard enough.

‘I’m used to writing books that ride ahead of the wave,’ says Saul. ‘The reaction is often very negative.’

So why haven’t commentators assumed their usual defensive posture this time around?

‘You get the sense that they’re troubled and not sure what to make of it,’ he says. ‘A lot of senior bankers and politicians feel that this is happening even if they haven’t been able to put their fingers on what it means. So when they read a book like this, they think, ‘There’s an explanation. Is it the right explanation or the only explanation? But a least it’s an attempt to explain the disorder and confusion.’

“Saul is no knee-jerk opponent of capitalism. He believes in a vigorous marketplace based on aggressive competition and risk-taking. Yet for Saul, globalism is the antithesis of the pro-capitalist creed it pretends to be.

‘You have the large technocracies – transnationals with enormous amounts of cash – buying our small and medium-sized corporations as soon as they come on to the horizon,’ says Saul, ‘They’re not very creative themselves so they buy creativity.’”

“Saul argues that we’re living in an ideological vacuum, with globalism passed and with the identity of its successor unclear. He raises the terrifying possibility of globalism giving way to ‘negative nationalism’ – a rise in right-wing populist movements trading in the politics of race and social division.”

“Saul hopes that the void will be filled instead by ‘positive nationalism’, whereby quality of life will supplant the bottom line as the barometer of prosperity. But he’s not making forecasts.

‘We live in an era when people who write books are supposed to make predictions,’ he says. ‘In my view it is more important to ask: what is happening now and why is it happening? Then you get a sense of what you can do.’”

“John Ralston Saul argues in his latest book, The Collapse of Globalism, that that view of the world is already discredited. It is not clear what will fill the vacuum left by the faltering of confidence in globalisation, but Saul is not inclined to mourn the intellectual poverty and arrogance of that mindset. It was a period in which economists got above themselves and were allowed to colonise the space left by a failure of political leadership. Looking at the world through the prism of a particular school of economics, the globalists, as he calls them, believed societies around the world would be taken in new, interwoven and positive directions.”

“He is not an apologist for the anti-globalist movement. His thesis is more subtle and more profound than that.”