( 6 reviews )
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Posted: Jun 24 2009
Purchased this book for a class. It provides a solid overview of contemporary issues, although I find a number of Thompson's conclusions dubious. (His confidence in international/multilateral institutions and agreements is unwarranted; the assertion that "American colonialism seems indistinguishable from European colonialism" (p. 16) ignores the far larger scope of the latter.) Published in 2003, the material is somewhat out of date (i.e. no analysis of the impact of the U.S. invasion & occupation of Iraq). The synopsis of Catholic Social Teaching isn't bad, although the book certainly could have devoted much more space to the topic. (For a comprehensive treatment of Catholic Social Teaching, I recommend the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.)
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( 4 of 4 found this review helpful ) Posted: Oct 23 2006
or almost now. This was last revised in 2002 from the earlier 1997 edition; therefore we do not see our more recent national (security state, increased economic disparity) and international (one million Iraqis estimated dead by the Lancet) developments. Thus this book continues to discuss economic sanctions against Iraq instead of the current total war policy. Nevertheless it is a very useful textbook, as it describes its audience, and a very comprehensive overview. For a more clear conception of the principles of justice and peace involved, nothing can beat the National Conference of Catholic Bishop's The Challenge of Peace and Economic Justice For All,except anything by the Rev. Father John Dear, SJ, of course. Of special personal interest is the discussion of British colonialism in Ireland and the real causes of the "famine" in a land full of food. Again and always it is highly recommended to visit the excellent amazon Search Inside function, which you will soon discover impossible in this case to put down. Try the Table of Contents and go from there. A very useful historical overview in the perspective of applied Catholic moral theology.
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( 1 of 13 found this review helpful ) Posted: Sep 16 2004
Very left anti-capitalism book. Contains no cogent arguments. Facts are skewed or are outright lies. Example: Page 56 states "The huge budget deficits during the Reagan years in the 1980s were due to tax cuts..." When , in fact, data from 'Budget of the United States Government: Historical Tables' show large increases in Government revenue during the years after the tax cuts. The increased deficits being due to large house/senate spending. Of course, in this book, Bill Clinton can do no wrong. Over all, this book is a very hard left leaning and biased work. I wish I could get my money back.
