The Lugano Report

This report is not what is seems. It is written entirely by the leading development specialist Susan George. Although a spoof report, it is based on fact and illustrates the logical processes of the world economy as we approach the new century. Written from the perspective of one in broad support of the systems of global power, Susan George is in fact deeply critical of the state of the world. Through her unique style of approach to her subject, George paints a worrying picture of the world over the next 25 years. The book diagnoses the current state of the world and considers feasible alternative strategies and solutions to the world's most pressing problems. Prepared from a joint initiative by anonymous world leaders, it is presented as a confidential report. "Lugano" identifies the threats to the free market capitalist system, and the obstacles to its generalisation and preservation as we enter the millennium, and recommends strategies to maximise the probability that the free market globalised system will prevail. It warns of the imminent collapse of the world economic system and pinpoints precisely where the dangers lie, the impact of this on the "haves" - the people who hold power - and on the "have nots" -the poor and excluded.

Susan George has written widely on development issues for three decades. She is an associate director of the Transnational Institute and a member of Jubilee 2000. She is the author of several classic works including How the Other Half Dies (Penguin), The Debt Boomerang (Pluto Press), Ill Fares the Land (Penguin) and, with Fabrizio Sabelli, Faith and Credit: The World Bank Secular Empire (Penguin).