Globalization from Below: The Power of Solidarity - Softcover

Brecher, Jeremy; Costello, Tim; Smith, Brendan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0896086224 ISBN 13: 9780896086227

Publisher: South End Press, 2000

Synopsis

World business leaders' greed-as-usual came to a dramatic halt last November when tens of thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Seattle and shut down the 1999 meeting of the World Trade Organization. This powerful but virtually unknown organization was spotlighted through coordinated actions by such diverse constituencies as environmental, labor, and human rights advocates, catching the attention of the world. The New York Times declared its amazement, "The surprisingly large protests point to the emergence of a new and vocal coalition." According to the Times, that movement includes "a wide swath of Main Street America."

As fewer people take greater control of the world's wealth, natural resources, and decision-making power, more and more people are feeling enraged at what amounts to the theft of democracy. Working with their neighbors to wrest power back from the multinational corporations, these citizens will find Globalization from Below an invaluable tool, a concise presentation of the reasons and the means to galvanize a winning challenge to the powers that be.

This accessible, practical guide lays out a strategy that will reverse the damaging effects of unfettered pursuit of profits: environmental degradation, a widening gap between rich and poor, and a lack of accountability in international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization. Globalization from Below will inspire ordinary citizens and challenge veteran organizers as it delineates a process of forging lasting links with activists around the world to gain economic and environmental security now and in the future.

Jeremy Brecher is the author of Strike! Tim Costello is a union activist based in Boston and has co-authored several books with Brecher, including Global Village or Global Pillage. Brendan Smith is a former staff assistant to Representative Bernie Sanders (Independent, Vermont) and is currently working at Stone Soup, Inc. in Connecticut.

About this title

Synopsis

Although there are many books out there on globalization, this is unique in looking at it from below, rather than assuming that the richest countries will dictate the agenda; Suggests concrete ways to strive for global democratisation; When tens of thousands of protesters brought the World Trade Organization in Seattle to a halt in November 1999, it marked the "coming out party" for a new global movement. Trade unionists, environmentalists, students, women's rights groups, and human rights advocates demanded an alternative to "globalization from above." As Newsweek commented, "There are now two visions of globalization on offer, one led by commerce, one by social activism." How can this emerging movement realize its vision? In Globalization from Below: The Power of Solidarity, Brecher, Costello, and Smith draw on the history of past movements and their own experience as activists to propose strategies for building this powerful coalition into a successful movement for global democratisation.

Edition details

• Publisher: South End Press
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0896086224
• ISBN 13: 9780896086227
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 154