THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER 1 BESTSELLER.
Crisis in Europe is not over,it's getting worse.
In this dramatic narrative of Europe's economic rise and spectacular fall,Yanis Varoufakis,former finance minister of Greece,'the emerging rock star of Europe's anti-austerity uprising'(Telegraph),shows that the origins of the collapse go far deeper than our leaders are prepared to admit - and that we have done nothing so far to fix them.
In 2008,the universe of Western finance outgrew planet Earth. When Wall Street imploded,a death embrace between insolvent banks and bankrupt states consumed Europe. Half a dozen national economies imploded and several more came close. But the storm is far from over...From the aftermath of the Second World War to the present,Varoufakis recounts how the eurozone emerged not as route to shared prosperity but as a pyramid scheme of debt with countries such as Greece,Ireland,Portugal and Spain at its bottom. Its woeful design ensured that collapse would be inevitable and catastrophic.
But since the hurricane landed Europe's leaders have chosen a cocktail of more debt and harsh austerity rather than reform,ensuring that the weakest citizens of the weakest nations pay the price for the bankers'mistakes,while doing nothing to prevent the next collapse. Instead,the principle of the greatest austerity for those suffering the greatest recessions has led to a resurgence of racist extremism. Once more,Europe is a potent threat to global stability.
Drawing on the personal experience of his own negotiations with the eurozone's financiers and offering concrete policies and alternatives,Varoufakis shows how we concocted this mess and how we can get out of it. And The Weak Suffer What They Must reminds us of our history in order to save European capitalism from itself.
Publisher: Vintage PublishingISBN: 9781784704117Number of pages: 336Weight: 234 gDimensions: 198 x 129 x 20 mm
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If you ever doubt what is at stake in Europe,read Varoufakis's accountAn outstanding economist and political analyst. His remarkable talents are fully on display in his recent study of Europe's crisis,a most revealing and perceptive analysis of the development of the global economy in the past half century and their grim consequences now threatening Western societiesAn absolutely splendid book... What Yanis really shows is that the European project had a democratic deficit from the origin and design... The Thucydides of our timeOne of my few heroes...his achievements are incredibly important...to save what is worth fighting for in Europe...Yanis tried to do the right thing - to remain within the EU and disturb from within. That is why he was such a threat...wonderfully written,complex,a book which is set to provoke our rage...to make us think,and that's what we need today. As long as people like Yanis are around,there still is hopeOne of my few heroes...his achievements are incredibly important...to save what is worth fighting for in Europe...Yanis tried to do the right thing - to remain within the EU and disturb from within. That is why he was such a threat...wonderfully written,complex,a book which is set to provoke our rage...to make us think,and that's what we need today. As long as people like Yanis are around,there still is hopeA very,very clever person,and in the basic argument about what's been going on in Europe I think he's rightA devastating accountA scholar,writer,philosopher of clarity,insight,generosity and engaging prose,not to mention integrity and courageA brilliant economistFew finance ministers have such a talent for economics as Yanis VaroufakisHighly readable. It is also important,outlining a perspective on global economics that influences policy thinking in broader circles than the radical left...deeply instructiveThe most interesting man in the worldThe emerging rock star of Europe's anti-austerity uprisingIt is important to take note of the ideas that Varoufakis continues to espouse...the essence of (his) agenda was - and remains - largely correctA man of integrity and intellectual honesty...a superb monetary economist whose credentials outshine those who have bewitched European governmental elites... His economic logic was irrefutableHe writes with great panache...and in a gripping style...One of the things that makes this book enjoyable is that Varoufakis makes much of the role of personalitiesAn account of how the forces of capital have prevailed over the common good...visionaryA global celebrityThe biggest disaster for any of the BBC's news and current affairs slate would be The Yanis Varoufakis Show on another networkWhile this British Conservative minister might not agree with every single position adopted by this Greek radical socialist,I cannot but admire and applaud his courage and passion on behalf of genuinely progressive causesThe reason Varoufakis seems to have captured the imaginations of so many is that his words about the European crisis speak universal truths about democracy,capitalism and social policyLike all great story tellers,Varoufakis'literary flair is not just a function of stylistic prowess. He gets right inside the fears,desires and external constraints of the key players in the complex history of the Eurozone...Reading And The Weak Suffer What They Must is like reading a gripping thriller. It is a page turner because the plot itself is a relentless sequence of astonishing twists and turns driven by the cunning ingenuity and hubristic folly of its key protagonists...This book is not just illuminating. It is a call to moral awakening and to intelligent,determined and humane political action
Yanis Varoufakis
Yanis Varoufakis is a Greek economist,academic,politician and the author of various bestselling books,including the Waterstones Book of the Year shortlisted Talking to My Daughter about the Economy. His most recent book,Another Now,is published in September 2020.
Visit the Yanis Varoufakis author page
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