[mobglob-discuss] Globalisation And Its Fall Out: By Vandana Shiva

[Gordon Flett]

Globalisation And Its Fall Out By Vandana Shiva March 23, 2003
http://www.zmag.org/sustainers/content/2003-03/23shiva.cfm 

Neither Prosperity nor Peace 

Globalization was imposed on the world with a promise of peace and
prosperity. Instead we are faced with war and economic crisis. Not only
has prosperity proved elusive, the minimal economic securities of people
and countries are fast disappearing. 

Hunger deaths have started to occur in countries such as Argentina where
hunger was never a problem, and starvation has returned to countries
like India which had driven away famine like the one of 1942 which
killed 2 million people under colonial, and provided food security
through public policy shaped by the democratic process of an independent
and sovereign country. Even the rich economies of U.S., Europe and Japan
are facing a decline. Globalization has clearly failed to improve the
well being of citizens or countries. 

It has helped some corporations increase their profits and markets, but
many corporations like AOL/Time Warner and Enron whose non-sustainable
growth was based on deregulation accompanying globalization have
themselves either gone bankrupt or lost their value. Following the
globalization path is proving to be a recipe for non-sustainability for
the rich and impoverishment and destitution for the poor. 

Peace was the other promise of globalization but terrorism and war is
what we have inherited. Peace was to be a result of increased global
prosperity through globalization. Increased poverty is the unfolding
reality. And economic insecurity and exclusion is creating conditions
for the rise of terrorism and fundamentalism. 

Economic and political exclusion, and the erosion of national economic
sovereignty is making many young men turn to terrorism and violence as a
way of achieving their goals. The erosion of economic nationalism and
the growth of economic security is also providing fertile ground for the
rise of right wing fundamentalist politics, with parties using the
reality of economic insecurity to fan the flames of cultural insecurity,
and filling the vacuum left by the collapse of economic nationalism and
economic sovereignty with the pseudo nationalist agenda of "cultural
nationalism". 

At the global level, the rhetoric of "clash of civilizations", and the
war against Islam performs the same function as the exclusivist
political agendas of cultural nationalism and fundamentalist ideology at
the national level. 

The Convergence of fundmentalism 

Two forms of fundamentalism seem to be converging and becoming mutually
reinforcing and mutually supportive. 

The first is the market fundamentalism of globalization itself. This
fundamentalism redefines life as commodity, society as economy, and the
market as the means and end of the human enterprise. The market is being
made the organizing principle for the provisioning of food, water,
health, education and other basic needs, it is being made the organizing
principle for governance, it is being made the measure of our humanity. 

Our being human is no longer predicated on the fundamental human rights
enshrined in all constitutions and in the U.N. declaration of human
rights. It is now conditional on our ability to "buy" our needs on the
global marketplace in which the conditions of life -- food, water,
health, knowledge have become the ultimate commodities controlled by a
handful of corporations. In the market fundamentalism of globalization,
everything is a commodity, everything is for sale. Nothing is sacred,
there are no fundamental rights of citizens and no fundamental duties of
governments. 

The market fundamentalism of globalization and the economic exclusion
inherent to it is giving rise to, and being reinforced and supported by
politics of exclusion emerging in the form of political parties based on
"religious fundamentalism"/xenophobia/ethnic cleansing and reinforcement
of patriarchies and castism. The culture of commodification has
increased violence against women, whether it is in the form of rising
domestic violence, increasing cases of rape, an epidemic of female
foeticide, and increased trafficking in women. 

Globalization as a patriarchal project has reinforced patriarchal
exclusions. Atrocities against dalits have also seen an increase as a
result of globalization, with higher castes enjoying new power with
their integration into the global market place and also wanting to usurp
the resources of the poor and marginalized, especially dalits and
tribals, for commercial exploitation. Land reform laws which made the
land rights of dalits inalienable have been undone. An attempt is under
way to undo the constitutional protection of tribal land rights under
Schedule V o the Constitution. 

Women, dalits, tribals, minorities are special victims of the social and
economic impact of globalization. New movements of solidarity such as
the Indian People's Campaign against W.T.O. are forging new alliances
between diverse movements. However, people's movements are being
overtaken by the emerging politics of exclusion. 

Economic insecurity makes citizens vulnerable to politics based on
exclusion. For those in power, or seeking power, a politics of exclusion
is becoming political a necessity. It becomes necessary for filling the
vacuum created by the demise of economic sovereignty and the welfare
state and substituting a politics based on economic rights with politics
identity. 

It becomes necessary for deflecting public attention away from the
negative impact of globalization and explaining the lack of jobs and
livelihoods, and the lack of basic needs satisfaction which result from
economic globalization in terms of competition for scarce jobs and
resources from "minorities" and "immigrants". Fundamentalism and
xenophobia emerge as handmaidens of corporate globalization, dividing,
diverting and distracting people, and thus providing insularity and
immunity to the globalization project. 

In India, every vote since 1991 has been a vote against globalization
and trade liberalization which is creating 10 million new unemployed
people every year, is pauperizing the peasantry and disenfranchising the
marginalized. This changed in 2002 with the Gujarat elections which
followed the massacre of 2000 Muslims and the violent engineering of the
electoral agenda away from basic needs to a majority -- minority
conflict and contest. The arithmetic guaranteed victory to the party
which had created a divide between the majority and minority communities
and sown mutual fear and hatred through rapes and killings. This violent
and exclusivist agenda is now being developed for all forthcoming
elections. 

And while the killings were underway, and national concern was focussed
on fighting communalism and fundamentalism, the globalization agenda was
put on fast forward. GMOs were given clearance, Patent laws were changed
to allow patents on life, a new water policy was introduced based on
water privatization, and new policies were introduced to dismantle
farmers livelihood security and people's food security. The 2003 budget
has further pushed the globalization agenda, using the diversion of
communal and religious divide to dissipate democratic opposition. 

In the U.S. and U.K., the war against Iraq has become a convenient
diversion from issues of globalization and the rise in unemployment and
economic insecurity. A politics of hate is becoming the indirect support
for the failed and failing project of globalization. 

We need a new politics of solidarity and peace which simultaneously
addresses violent and exclusion inherent to globalization, the violence
of terrorism and fundamentalism and the violence of war. The different
forms of violence and different forms of fundamentalism have common
roots, and need a common response. Globalization is intolerant of
economic decentralization, economic democracy and economic diversity.
Terrorism and fundamentalism are intolerant of cultural diversity. And
the war machine is intolerant of the "other" and of peaceful resolution
of conflict. 

The response to globalization is the protection and defense of our
diverse economies at local and national levels. The response to
fundamentalism is celebrating our cultural diversities. The response to
war is the recognition that the "other" is not a threat but the very
precondition of our being. 

Imagine how different the world would be if it was based on a philosophy
of mutual interdependence instead of the current dominant philosophy
which is based on "If I have to be, you must be exterminated" -- or
"Your existence is a threat to my existence". 

In the world based on interdependence rather than domination, exclusion,
extermination, Monsanto would not push a TRIPS agreement that treats the
farmers whose seeds Monsanto has patented at "thieves". Monsanto,
Syngenta, Ricetec and other Biopirates would recognize that their
breeding is based on prior breeding by farmers. 

If Biotech corporations could see that humanity depends on biodiversity,
and food security needs pollinators and diverse plant species, they
would not deploy genetically engineering Bt crops which kill bees and
butterflies, they would not create herbicide resistant plants and wipe
out plant diversity. 

If President Bush could see the Tigris and Euphrates and the
Mesopotamian civilization as ancestors and recognize our common roots in
a common evolution, he would not be rushing in to wipe out the
historical roots with unmanned bombs and weapons of mass destruction. 

If those who control capital could see that their wealth embodies
nature's creativity and people's labour, they would not be creating
rules of trade that destroy nature and the livelihoods. 

The fundamentalism of the market and the fundamentalism of ideologies of
hate and intolerance are rooted in fear -- fear of the other, fear of
the capacity and creativity of the other, fear of the sovereignty of the
other. 

We are witnessing the worst expressions of organized violence of
humanity against humanity because we are witnessing the wiping out of
philosophies of inclusion, compassion and solidarity. This is the
highest cost of globalization -- it is destroying our very capacity to
be human. Rediscovering our humanity is the highest imperative to resist
and reverse this inhuman project. The debate on globalization is not
about the market or the economy. It is about remembering our common
humanity. And the danger of forgetting the meaning of being human. 
__

Iraq:'Shock and Awe' Attack - Amnesty International Seeks Urgent
Clarification of Measures to Protect Civilians 

In response to the start of a large-scale attack on Baghdad, a city of 5
million people, Amnesty International is seeking urgent clarification
from the US and UK governments of the measures taken to protect against
civilian casualties. The organization cautioned the US and UK that under
international humanitarian law, an attack must be cancelled or suspended
if it becomes apparent that it is causing disproportionate loss of
civilian life. 

Amnesty International notes statements by US and UK authorities
asserting the intention to minimize civilian casualties, including
President George Bush's March 19 statement that "I want Americans and
all the world to know that coalition forces will make every effort to
spare innocent civilians from harm." 

US Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld warned Iraqi civilians on March 20:
"Once hostilities begin, stay in your homes and listen to coalition
radio stations for instructions on what to do to remain safe and out of
the line of fire. Iraqi civilians: Do not go to work. Stay away from
military targets and any facilities where Saddam Hussein has moved
military assets." 

This and other verbal and written warnings from the US to Iraqi
civilians do not absolve the US of the obligation to refrain from an
attack that would be indiscriminate or disproportionate. 

More on Iraq at: http://www.amnesty.ca/Iraq/index.html 
__

"As human beings, we cannot be neutral, or at least have no right to be,
when other human beings are suffering. Each of us...must do what he or
she can to help those in need, even though it would be much safer and
more comfortable to do nothing." - Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General 


Note: Oxfam says that the UN has only 20% of the money they need for
humanitarian aid for Iraq. 

Here is some contact information, if you wish to express your concerns
(thanks to Bill Woollam for these). 

The UN email addresses are for the Security Council. Contact information
is for members of the UN Security Council (Ambassador, email and fax): 

S.E. Ambassador M. Jean-Marc de LA Sabliere france-presse at un.int 
(212) 207-9765 

H.E. Ambassador Mr. Sergey Lavrov rusun at un.int 
(212) 628-0252 

H.E. Ambassador Wang Yingfan chinamission_un at fmprc.gov.cn 
(212) 634-7626 

H.E. Ambassador Sir Jeremy Greenstock uk at un.int 
(212) 745-9316 

H.E. Ambassador Mr. Stefan Tafrov bulgaria at un.int 
(212) 472-9865 

S.E. Ambassador Martin Belinga Eboutou info at cameroonmission.org 
(212) 249-0533 

H.E. Ambassador M. François Lonseny Fall guinea at un.int 
(212) 687-8248 

S. E. Embajador Adolfo Aguilar Zínser mexico at un.int 
(212) 688-8862 

H.E. Ambassador Dr. Mikha’il Wahbi syria at un.int 
(212) 983-4439 

S.E. Ambassador Dr. Ismael Gaspar Martins ang-un at angolamissionun.org 
(212) 861-9295 

S.E. Ambassador Juan Gabriel Valdés chile at un.int 
(212) 832-0236 

H.E. Ambassador Dr. Gunter Pleuger contact at germany-un.org 
(212) 940-0402 

H.E. Ambassador Inocencio F. Arias spain at spainun.org 
(212) 682-4460 

H.E. Ambassador Munir Akram Pakistan at un.int 
(212) 744-7348 

Email addresses: 

france-presse at un.int rusun at un.int chinamission_un at fmprc.gov.cn uk at un.int
bulgaria at un.int info at cameroonmission.org guinea at un.int mexico at un.int
syria at un.int ang-un at angolamissionun.org chile at un.int Pakistan at un.int
spain at spainun.org contact at germany-un.org 

__

Global Dispatches Reaction to the war from Vietnam, Russia, Jordan,
Israel, China, Nigeria, Great Britain, Egypt, the United States, India,
France, Spain, Cuba and Germany.
http://thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20030407&s=dispatches 

Anti-War Articles on Rabble.ca http://www.rabble.ca/anti-war.shtml
cathywoods at shawlink.ca http://www.creativeresistance.ca