Civil Society Protests: The Message or the Madness?

  
For those of us who follow civil society, the demonstrations in Prague against the IMF and World Bank on September 26 were shocking. It appeared that hoards of black-masked anarchists, the so-called "Black Bloc," had become the movement. Where was the message? Civil society groups had such a clear voice in Seattle and Washington, D.C. that the World Trade Organization admitted that it couldn't begin a new round of negotiations. Now, many believe that the true face of opposition to globalization was captured in the mob in Prague. They forget about statistics such as those reported in the New York Times (12/05/99) showing that only 37% of families earning less than $50,000 hold a positive view of global trade.

The truth is that although fewer protesters turned out in Prague than were expected, the great majority of the six to eight thousand who did participate didn't join the riots. More important, the worldwide nature of the demonstrations made September 26 truly a global day of protest. More than 27 countries, including at least 25 cities in the United States, held demonstrations. None was more creative than the Global Justice Group of South Florida, which staged a walking tour of the local face of globalization in West Palm Beach. Local media coverage of the novel walk, complete with puppets, costumes, signs and speeches, made it seem like a tame event. Yet, it called the attention of the community to real problems such as environmental damage, elimination of public services through privatization, "gentrification" of poorer neighborhoods, and sweatshops (see "For Poorer, Not for Richer," Palm Beach Post, September 27, 2000).

Although another S-26 demonstration scheduled by the group Jobs with Justice at a Citibank branch in Miami's poor Overtown neighborhood failed to attract sufficient protesters, local interest has been wetted. The number of people involved may be comparatively small ( the Palm Beach Post reported that 50 people participated in the protest there, although many more were observers), but this type of effort reflects a vein in our society that is part of a worldwide culture of protest. In the Americas, besides the US and Canada, S-26 activities were held in Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico, Brazil and Chile. Worldwide, the majority of protests were in Third World countries. In Pakistan, three cities held separate events!

These events suggest that the debate is no longer about globalization per se, but rather, the type of globalization that we are experiencing. Mainstream civil society groups are seeking alternatives to what they consider corporate-driven globalization. Others seek greater "social responsibility" and more social and economic equity in the process. The question is how to find a joining of these civil society forces.

One developing area of convergence is the World Social Forum planned for Porto Alegre, Brazil in January 2001, to be held separately but simultaneously to the now famous Davos talks. In a recent planning meeting, it was encouraging to see the broad-based support offered by unions to socially responsible management and radical to mainstream political movements. A months later, in April, the Third Summit of the Americas will convene in Quebec City, Canada. Civil society groups are already organizing a "Convergence Forum" to bring together many of the different tendencies of anti-globalization and more engaged representatives. Not all the groups that seek input into the Summit of the Americas process are involved as yet. The Participa and Esquel coalition, although it includes groups that are involved in the Hemispheric Social Alliance, has yet to enter into the conversations. The question will be to what extent the efforts succeed in gaining the attention of governments, international institutions and corporations.