Publisher's Synopsis
The Fallacy of the Rich, by author Ignacio Silvosa Terreros, is a profound and courageous critique of the global system that perpetuates inequality, the abuse of power and the concentration of wealth in the hands of an economic elite. Throughout this book, the author dismantles the dominant narratives about globalization, capitalism, and the promises of progress that have been imposed by elites over recent decades. This analysis not only exposes the power structures behind large corporations, banks and supranational governments, but also invites us to reflect on the true causes of poverty, injustice and suffering that millions of people around the world are going through.
The book begins with a critical vision of globalization, a process that has been presented to us as a phenomenon that would reduce distances between countries, increase development opportunities and promote international cooperation. However, Silvosa Terreros maintains that globalization has served rather to accelerate the concentration of power in a small number of actors, mostly large multinational corporations and financial conglomerates, while the promises of progress for the most disadvantaged people have remained unfulfilled. Instead of being an inclusive process, globalization has consolidated a system neocolonial where impoverished nations continue to be exploited, this time under the façade of a free and global market.
The author delves into the rise of global elites, a small group of individuals and companies that have managed to accumulate a excessive wealth and that, through their control over markets, natural resources and government policies, they have managed to redefine the rules of global power. Silvosa Terreros explains how magnates have gone from being isolated economic actors to becoming the main ones system drivers. This interconnection between great fortunes and public policies has made elite interests not only dominate national economies, but also have the ability to shape international policies, imposing agendas that favor their own interests and perpetuate their domination.
A central concept of the book is the construction of a global system of power which is above national sovereignty. Silvosa Terreros describes how power has shifted to supranational organizations and international agreements, creating what he calls a de facto global government, where economic and political decisions are made in private or intergovernmental bodies, leaving people and their national governments without real power to influence the policies that affect their lives. This dynamic has given rise to a loss of sovereignty for many countries, which no longer have control over their own economies or over their political systems, which are increasingly subordinated to the interests of large conglomerates.
In the chapter on empire without borders, the author delves into the way in which military and the international armed forces They have been instrumentalized to safeguard the interests of global elites. With the help of new technologies and advances in militarization of control, elites have created a global repression apparatus that ensures that protests or social movements that challenge their rule are efficiently stifled. Silvosa Terreros not only talks about the military concentration, but also about how the weapons and defense technology have been manipulated to guarantee the stability of the global power system, which is nourished by violence and the exploitation.
