The War Against Population: The Economics and Ideology of World Population Control

by Jacqueline Kasun

Dr. Jacqueline Kasun, Ph.D. The idea that humanity is multiplying at a terrible and accelerating rate is one of the false dogmas of our times. From that notion springs the widely held belief that unless population growth is immediately contained by every governmental and private method imaginable, mankind faces imminent disaster. These ideas form the basis for an enormous international population-control industry that involves billions of dollars of taxes as well as the full time efforts of scores of private philanthropies. Embodied in their agenda is the sort of social planning that actually mandates draconian control over families, churches and other voluntary institutions around the globe. Point by point, Dr. Kasun shatters the dogmas of the controllers--tenets that simply fall apart under close scrutiny and comparison with a mountain of data that the controllers refuse to confront. This is a fascinating book, a tour de force effort to restore reality to a subject that has become unmoored by ideology. "An eye-opener. The material Kasun presents is invaluable for reference and it is provided in an accessible and readable form." - Julian L. Simon, from the Foreword "This book urgently needs to be read by citizens in general and by parents in particular. It carefully exposes two of the leading frauds of our time--the "overpopulation" hysteria and the false pretensae of "sex education". - Thomas Sowell, Author, A Conflict of Visions "One of the best kept secrets in the world is the evil nature of the population control movement. This is the best and most important book on the subject." - Charles E. Rice, Professor of Law, University of Notre Dame "Dr. Kasun's book is about much more than the `overpopulation' myth--for instance, the bare facts about `sex ed'. You will be amazed to know what your tax dollars are actually paying for. Get this book." - J.P. McFa

Genres: Economics, Politics

309 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1988

Reviews

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you get the sense that some of the environmentalists fatalistic "Al Gore" message is a little off, then read this well researched book by Dr. Jacqueline Kasun, a professor of economics at Humboldt State Univ.
I love her dedication of the book:
For the sake of the children
who are like arrows
in the quiver of a mighty man
and speak for us in the gate.
another quote:
"The obvious pollution occurring in many places - worst of all, in the planned societies- has encouraged the growth of the environmental movement, which, however, as shown in previous chapters, has an agenda that goes far beyond clean-up and beautification, far beyond the stewardship of nature that is commanded by ancient religious tradition. Embracing the "biospheric vision" in the "spirit of deep ecology", the movement sees human beings as the chief enemy in the struggle on behalf of a deified Nature. The environmental movement, therefore, is the perfect vehicle for population control. It is popular - people do love trees and animals and beautiful scenery - and it is unequivocal in its devotion to reducing human numbers. The environmental agencies of the United Nations, with their chilling blueprints for "demographic transition" and a standardless, undefined but totally planned and controlled "sustainable development", combine the fervor of nature worship with the lack of accountability of an unelected, international bureaucracy."

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book that is well written, approachable, and an eye-opener. It thoroughly de-bunks the notion of a "population explosion" while at the same time setting forth the very disturbing things that the U.S. government is doing. It also shows the origins of the population control movement, its links to eugenics, and their methods which are more often than not coercive. That all being said, it is must reading.

[Micheline Hilpert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Chapter one is a critical analysis of the carrying capacity of the Earth. She makes some valid arguments. She is certain that there are enough resources for a far larger population that the world had in 1988. She gives examples of how the market economy will correct for any depletion that does occur.

She gives very well thought out and logical arguments if the reader accepts the premises from which she is working. . Her bias towards industry, unchecked free market capitalism, and traditional family values is obvious from the first pages and it colors all her subsequent research.

Her fifth chapter on the dangerous agenda of sex education proponents in the public schools read like a work of dystopian fiction rather than a social science book. In it, she accuses Planned Parenthood of working to destroy the nuclear family by convincing children to question gender roles and by promoting homosexuality.

The chapter enumerates imagined the atrocities taught to children at the various grades, including birth control lectures to kindergarteners, live diaphragm insertion instructions to middle schoolers accompanied by a step by step tutorial on filling out abortion paperwork, and then followed up in high school by boys and girls being paired up to discuss the size and characteristics of their own genitals. No wonder there are people that fear sex education in the schools. If that was the way sex education was presented, there would be cause for alarm. Thank goodness it just isn't true.

I was hoping to find a book explaining the various reasons why the population control measures were overstated and in need of modification. What I instead found was a propaganda piece preaching against any system that did not fit her limited world view. Her argument would have been strengthened if her contempt for the left was not as palpable in this book.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a "bad news" book, not a "feel good" book.

[Jerry Pyper · Rating 5 out of 5]

A host of issues such as poverty, hunger, AIDS, and Global Warming have been attributed by many to the general ill effects of overpopulation. But when the particulars are looked at case by case, no causal connection can be shown. Consider a certain famine, and you find its primary cause is a civil or regional war. Examine an epidemic, and you find that it resulted from widespread sexual promiscuity. Another devastating crisis is seen to come via a combination of political greed, incompetent management, and uncontrollable natural forces. Show me, if you can, a specific, serious human problem that is demonstrably caused by Too Many People. To date, I haven't seen a single instance.

Is there something in the human psyche that demands simplistic answers? ("If we can just solve the overpopulation problem, everything will be OK.") Or do we find dark delight in news of impending doom? Or a secret self-loathing, that readily embraces the notion that we ourselves are the biggest problem? It is interesting to note that population control advocates have nearly always been members of rich, industrialized nations.

A more sinister explanation to consider is that some people are deliberately beating the overpopulation drum to further their own agenda. One extremely well-researched book that explores this possibility is Dr. Jacqueline Kasun's 1988 (later updated) book, The War Against Population. This is not some nutty 'conspiracy theory' work. It is well documented in showing that some very powerful elitists view population control as a key to their political and material interests. To really control people (and their stuff), control their numbers. One well-exposed example is the Nixon Administration's 1974 National Security Council Memorandum 200 (NSSM 200), a.k.a. the "Kissinger Report", and subtitled "Implications of Worldwide Population Growth For U.S. Security and Overseas Interests". Consider just this one citation among many from NSSM 200:

Whatever may be done to guard against interruptions of supply and to develop domestic alternatives, the U.S. economy will require large and increasing amounts of minerals from abroad, especially from less developed countries [See National Commission on Materials Policy, Towards a National Materials Policy: Basic Data and Issues, April 1972]. That fact gives the U.S. enhanced interest in the political, economic, and social stability of the supplying countries. Wherever a lessening of population pressures through reduced birth rates can increase the prospects for such stability, population policy becomes relevant to resource supplies and to the economic interests of the United States. (NSSM 200, CHAPTER III - MINERALS AND FUEL)

In addition to exposing an anti-population agenda, Dr. Kasun presents a formidable quantity of evidence to debunk the myth - and groundless fear - that we humans are too many in number, or anywhere near too many. Do you find this important? Are you willing to perhaps question the scientific neutrality of many population studies? In the interest of intellectual honesty, I highly recommend The War Against Population as an excellent starting point for such questions.