Klein draws a parallel between the way individuals are broken in interrogation through shock (read: torture) and by the way societies can be reshaped through the same methods. When you have a major disaster or war - whether it be a smaller war like the Falklands war, an attack like 9/11 which made Americans obedient, fearful and submissive to authority - or a natural disaster like Sri Lanka or Katrina, people can be shoved aside. So 9/11 was used to launch the “war on terror” which included a 137 billion/year increase in spending by the Pentagon by “contractors” and the Department of Homeland “Security” spending 130 billion on contractors. Katrina, of course, led to the city being cleansed of undesirables and a huge land-grab by speculators. Meanwhile Blackwater mercenaries have been used to keep ex-residents from returning and reclaiming their houses. Less known to Americans is the Sri Lanka disaster, in which most residents (1 million) weren’t allowed to return (including fishermen) and the coastline was turned over to hotels and to the tourism industry.