Capitalist transformation is international and imperialist, as dominated countries and classes are shaped to meet the needs and desires of dominant ones. This has generated profits for big firms, investors, and traders, allowing some to become rich and powerful while others are marginalised and impoverished. It has contributed to deforestation, pollution, and immiseration for workers, a process known as unequal exchange. Similar processes have been linked to the emergence of new diseases like covid-19 and must be halted for the sake of people and planet: by empowering producers and transforming states.

This illustrated introduction gives an overview of the capitalist transformation of the Mekong region.