Peter Phillips - Giants: The Global Power Elite

We all know that 'they' run the world, or much of it; and we know that their only purpose is to make themselves still richer; and that this compulsive enterprise is killing all the rest of us, by spreading poverty, creating endless war, and terminally poisoning the earth.

We know how powerful they are, and what it's doing to us; yet we don't know exactly who 'they' areinformation that we very badly need, and that 'our free press' has not provided us, nor is it regularly taught in any schools, because the press and schools are largely theirs.

And so those of us who want to break their chokehold are indebted (in a liberating way) to Peter Phillips, thanks to whom we finally know the names and stories of those 199 lethal super-managers. Picking up where C. Wright Mills left off with his invaluable dissection of the 'power elite' that used to run America alone, Phillips thoroughly identifies the members of the 'transnational capitalist class' that largely runs the world today, through the mammoth instruments of Western military force,an international 'intelligence community,' andnot least'our free press.'

It is a daunting explication of the fix we're in today; and yet Phillips also gives us hope, by pointing up the possibilities for real resistance, and a path toward (real) democracy. For anyone who wantsto know precisely where we are today, and whyand who knows that we can and must go somewhere elseGiants is a book to read, and recommend, right now.

MARK CRISPIN MILLER, PhD, professor of media studies, New York University

Giants is an interdisciplinary tour de force and expos that uniquely catalogues and traces the global power elites of the transnational capitalist class while analyzing their increasingly vast reach into all corners of the world and all aspects of our lives. Project Censored veteran and noted political sociologist Peter Phillips breaks down the political economy of late capitalisms concentrated wealth, noting the looming consequences and what is to be doneincluding naming the names and outing the networks of the new global power elite and even asking them to do their share to reverse power dynamics in a way that reflects a more just, democratic, and representative society for all before its too late.

This book is a must read for the general public, and especially suited for community college and university students. Phillips Giants is a much-needed book for our times. He shows how the global economy has shifted into the 21st century, by whom and in whose favor, and what we the people need to do to reclaim our commons revitalizing our democratic institutions (including public education and a truly free press), redressing the ecocidal climate crisis, and restricting and redirecting the permanent wartime economy, all while creating a sustainable future with renewed human institutions that value all life and promote liberty for all, not mammon and property for the few. Its quite possible our future as a species on the planet rests in large part on how well we understand the ambitions and networks of the global power elites Phillips exposes in Giants, and whether we mobilize and act to confront them.

MICKEY HUFF, president, Media Freedom Foundation and director, Project Censored; professor of social science and history, Diablo Valley College

In this important book, Peter Phillips has advanced progressive thinking about power in several ways. He has expanded sociologist C. Wright Millss model of social structure from the national power elite to the Transnational Capitalist Class. He identifies key power holders within that class, thus highlighting an ethic of individual as well as institutional accountability. And he does so within a consistent human rights framework that is much required in todays political climate. Giants: The Global Power Elite is a crucial map for desperately needed social change.

ROBERT HACKETT, professor, School of Communication, Simon Fraser University

The unabated global concentration of capital and deepening inequality is putting humanity on the brink of extinction. The financial behemoths running this oppressive and violent economic order have largely operated in the shadows, but Peter Phillips names the names in his latest work. Giants answers, in great detail, the commonly asked but rarely answered question: Who really pulls the strings? This book outlines the handful of individuals who manage the most powerful think tanks, investment firms, and corporate boards, and who make societys decisions at the expense of the planet. Giantsis an essential tool to understand those at the reins of empire and capitalist hegemony, so we can be empowered to fight for our survival.

ABBY MARTIN, host of the investigative news program The Empire Files

Following decades of research on power elites, Peter Phillipss book Giants exposes the power networks that link the worlds wealthiest individuals and organizations and the ideological justifications that sustain their power. Impeccable original research provides the foundation for an impassioned call to action that reflects Phillipss abiding commitments to social justice and human rights. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand socioeconomic inequality in the twenty-first century, and it is vital inspiration for those committed to creating a better world.

ANDY LEE ROTH, associate director of Project Censored

Peter Phillips challenges us to re-evaluate the role of powerful financial interests in shaping American life. More than a discussion about an abstract elite, Giants enumerates key players by names, interests, and roles. Valuable material for people who like critical thinking.

LOAN K. LE, PHD, president and CEO of the Institute for Good Government and Inclusion (IGGI)

This book is a fearless expos of the ascendancy of a class of global elites and the power they wield around the world. Brilliantly argued and meticulously documented.... Phillips writes with compassion and humanity, and also tells us that unveiling mechanisms of power is a necessary first step in reshaping a global economic system to address the current crises of democracy, equality, and environmental destruction.

ROBIN ANDERSEN, professor of communication and media studies, Fordham University

Giants: The Global Power Elite is an admirably accessible outing of the global oligarchy. The graphics work well and the writing is very clear and engaging. Peter Phillips has collected an awesome range of data and presents it really well. I salute his efforts here and hope the book finds many readers.

WILLIAM CARROLL, professor of sociology, University of Victoria

Dr. Phillips does an incredible job of detailing the seventeen global financial giants that carry most of the power and control in our world, those that contribute to many of the social problems we are struggling with worldwide, but that often remain hidden from accountability. As a radical sociologist whose work is reminiscent of the great C. Wright Mills, Dr. Phillips names these giants and gives the reader a useful primer for social activism. He details how these groups stay protected by private security firms and the ways in which media spin keeps them looking clean. Speaking truth to power, Dr. Phillips ends his work with an open letter to these global giants, which I proudly signed, inviting them to reimagine a more just society.

SUSAN RAHMAN, PHD

Giants: The Global Power Elite is a must-read for anyone concerned with how the concentration of wealth in the hands of a small number of global political elites affects the well-being of humanity and the ultimate sustainability of life on earth.