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NGOs and Social Movements: A North/South Divide?

This paper examines those contemporary agencies broadly termed non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and social movements. Emphasis is placed on political differences in approach, and the paper poses the question of how such differences coincide with geographical distinctions between the North and South. Differences in approach are also a product of different types of analysis and different strategic proposals, although among many NGOs and social movements there is a broad belief in the need to change the existing global political and economic order. (UNRISD, 2006)

http://www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BF3C2/setLanguageCookie?OpenAgent&langcode=en&url=/80256B3C005BCCF9/search/4F7CC72852DD23EBC12571D1002B45AD?OpenDocument

(Added: Wed Aug 30 2006   Hits: 185)

Old Hates Fueled By Fear

This article comments on the new alignments being corporate-dictated globalization and the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The so called "antiglobalization," movement is all about self-determination: the right of people everywhere to decide how best to organize their societies and economies, whether that means introducing land reform in Brazil, or producing generic AIDS drugs in India, or, indeed, resisting an occupying force in Palestine. However, it is important that the movement be wary of being misused as a tool for promoting anti-Semitism. It is possible to criticize Israel while also forcefully condemning the rise of anti-Semitism. And it is equally possible to be pro-Palestinian independence without adopting a simplistic "pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel" dichotomy. Klein argues that while nothing is going to erase anti-Semitism, Jews outside and inside Israel might be a little safer if there was a campaign to distinguish between diverse Jewish positions and the actions of the Israeli state, which uses anti-Semitism as a political weapon. This is where an international movement can play a crucial role. (Naomi Klein, No Logo, 24 April 2002, Toronto Globe & Mail)

http://www.zmag.org/content/Activism/klein_oldhates.cfm

(Added: Mon May 01 2006   Hits: 199)

On a tiny island, catchy Web name sparks a battle

The island of Niue, a U.S. internet firm, and thousands of Swedes are caught up in one of those peculiar dilemmas of globalization. Back when the internet was little known, a U.S. company acquired Niue's domain name from the nonprofit ICANN, then hit gold marketing ".nu" in Sweden, where it means ".now". The firm reciprocated by investing in Niue's infrastructure, making it the first nation with universal Wi-Fi. But in a complex debate over online sovereignty, Niue now seeks more control of its .nu name. (Christopher Rhoads, Wall Street Journal, 29 March 2006)

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06088/677770-96.stm

(Added: Fri Apr 07 2006   Hits: 210)

Open Fire and Open Markets: Strategy of an Empire

What do the "war on terrorism" and "free trade" have in common? According to a new report by Food First, Open Fire and Open Markets: Strategy of an Empire, they are the two formidable pillars of U.S. foreign policy, custom-built to help privatize the world's resources for its corporations, and a matter of growing concern with the upcoming World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial in Cancun, Mexico. "America's 'war on terrorism' is at one with its expansionary goals for the market: open invasion in some places and open markets everywhere," said Anuradha Mittal, Food First co-director and author of the report. "While thousands of Iraqi civilians have been terrorized, humiliated, maimed, injured, and killed through British and American bombing, contracts to rebuild Iraq were guided like smart bombs into the laps of large U.S. corporations."

http://www.foodfirst.org/pubs/backgrdrs/2003/s03v9n3.pdf

(Added: Wed Sep 03 2003   Modified: Thu Mar 27 2008   Hits: 384)

Our World is Not For Sale

The "Our World is Not For Sale" (OWINFS) network is a loose grouping of organizations, activists and social movements worldwide fighting against the current model of corporate globalization embodied in global trading systems. OWINFS is committed to a sustainable, socially just, democratic and accountable multilateral trading system.

http://www.ourworldisnotforsale.org

(Added: Fri Jul 09 2004   Modified: Tue Aug 15 2006   Hits: 293)

Our World is Not for Sale Coalition

The "Our World is Not For Sale" (OWINFS) network is a loose grouping of organizations, activists and social movements worldwide fighting against the current model of corporate globalization embodied in global trading systems. OWINFS is committed to a sustainable, socially just, democratic and accountable multilateral trading system.

http://www.ourworldisnotforsale.org/

(Added: Wed Mar 16 2005   Modified: Tue Aug 15 2006   Hits: 280)

Oxfam as a CONGO

Instead of campaigning vigorously against the vicious financial policies of international organisations which have deepened poverty in communities around the world Oxfam has in short become a CONGO (Co-Opted Non-Governmental Organisation). John Minto. 1 June 2002

http://www.dev-zone.org/kcdocs/3191MintoOxfam.html

(Added: Mon Jun 17 2002   Modified: Thu Jun 02 2005   Hits: 432)

Oxfam Critique Of Wto Triggers Reactions From All Sides

By Gustavo Capdevila. "The report, part of Oxfam's "Make Trade Fair" campaign, blames WTO rules for relegating the world's poor regions and countries to misery, but at least one other humanitarian group says the report does not go far enough, and charges that it "contradicts Oxfam's own stated mission.""

http://www.tradeobservatory.org/News/index.cfm?ID=3450

(Added: Fri Apr 26 2002   Modified: Thu Jun 02 2005   Hits: 324)

Oxfam's response to John Minto

Oxfam employs a range of approaches including campaigning in the streets, lobbying, and airing issues in the media. Rarely do we refuse dialogue as a matter of principle. Phil Twyford, Oxfam International Advocacy Director and former Oxfam New Zealand Executive Director. 3 July 2002.

http://www.dev-zone.org/kcdocs/3845OxfamResponseToMinto.html

(Added: Thu Sep 05 2002   Modified: Thu Jun 02 2005   Hits: 332)

Pacific Panopticon

Interview with the Filipino analyst and organizer of Focus on the Global South, Walden Bello, and veteran of the years of Allende and Marcos. In this New Left Review Interview, Bello discusses the prospects for the World Social Forum after September 11, arguing for the need to link protests against the IMF and WTO to campaigns against US military expansion.

http://www.newleftreview.net/NLR25004.shtml

(Added: Mon Jan 13 2003   Modified: Tue Dec 06 2005   Hits: 272)

Parecon: Life After Capitalism

(From the jacket) How can we replace the economics of exploitation and greed with an economics of equitable cooperation and solidarity? How can we put people in charge of their own economic life, rather than being controlled by corporations and markets? How can we foster economic well-being that benefits the whole society, rather than engorgement of the few? In this highly praised book, attracting worldwide attention and support, Michael Albert provides an answer: Participatory Economics, called parecon for short, is a new economy beyond capitalism. Parecon celebrates solidarity, equity, diversity, and people democratically controlling their own lives. To attain these values, it utilizes original institutions for production, consumption, and allocation, described throughout the book. Part I of this book discusses economic values and institutions. Part II describes participatory economics and argues its benefits. Part III explores daily life implications of a participatory economy. part IV rebuts plausible worries. First, we briefly address how economic vision relates to anti-corporate globalization and other economic aims garnering support around the world.

http://www.zmag.org/books/pareconv/parefinal.htm

(Added: Mon May 03 2004   Modified: Tue Aug 15 2006   Hits: 302)

Patent nonsense

George Monbiot. UK Guardian. Tuesday March 12, 2002. The most surprising aspect of the steel war launched by the United States last week is that anyone is surprised. For all the talk of increasing freedom, the only certain and consistent trend in global trade rules over the past 10 years has been the drift towards protectionism.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4372463,00.html

(Added: Sun Mar 24 2002   Modified: Thu Jun 02 2005   Hits: 268)

People Power Needed to Counter Globalisation

6 September 2002- Alert Reuters: Ben Wisner, hazards specialist with the Development Studies Institute at the London School of Economics and the Benfield Greig Hazard Research Centre at University College London argues that it would be a mistake to dismiss the Johannesburg Earth Summit. However, he says, the ability of mega-corporations to impose "globalisation from above" needs a grass-roots movement of "globalisation from below" to match and counter their political and economic power.

http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/508903?version=1

(Added: Thu Sep 19 2002   Modified: Thu Jun 02 2005   Hits: 285)

Peoples Global Action

From the 23rd to the 26th of February of 1998, grassroots movements of all continents met in Geneva to launch a worldwide coordination network of resistance to the global market, a new alliance of struggle and solidarity called Peoples' Global Action against 'free' trade and the WTO (PGA). That was the birth of this global tool for communication and coordination for all those who fight the destruction of humanity and the planet by capitalism and build local alternatives to globalisation.

http://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/agp/en/

(Added: Mon May 05 2003   Modified: Tue Aug 15 2006   Hits: 332)

Political Globalization

The Weekly Telegraph, Wednesday, 28 May 2003. Kerstin Müller, German Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, talks about the ways in which politics can shape actively the processes of globalization.

http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/englishweekly/telegraph/2003/may/may28/international.htm

(Added: Fri May 30 2003   Modified: Thu Jun 02 2005   Hits: 267)

Protest-and-Globalisation

The University of Technology, Sydney has a Protest and Globalisation Email list you can subscribe to.

http://listserv.uts.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/protest-and-globalisation

(Added: Wed Nov 28 2001   Modified: Thu Jun 02 2005   Hits: 285)

Q & A with Jagdish Bhagwati

Jagdish Bhagwati, from Columbia University, who has advised the World Trade Organization and the United Nations on aspects of international economics, answers readers' questions on globalization. (International Herald Tribune, 13 September 2006)

http://blogs.iht.com/tribtalk/business/globalization/?p=138

(Added: Thu Sep 14 2006   Hits: 147)

Real World Economic Outlook 'The Legacy of Globalization: Debt and Deflation' (For Purchase)

2003 By Ann Pettifor. 'The globalization of the world economy is a fact of life and here to stay. In this first of a series of Reports by the New Economics Foundation, edited by the renowned campaigner Ann Pettifor, the dramatic consequences of economic and financial liberalization for the world in general, and for poor countries in particular, are starkly portrayed. For anyone wanting to understand the anti-globalization movement, The Real World Economic Outlook should be their first port of call.' - Tony Thirlwall, University of Kent

http://www.palgrave.com/catalogue/catalogue.asp?Title_Id=1403917957

(Added: Thu Sep 18 2003   Modified: Thu Jun 02 2005   Hits: 264)

Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative

Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative (RR) addresses three urgent issues required for greater human development and security: Fostering more equitable international trade and development; Strengthening responses to HIV/AIDS in Africa; and Shaping more humane migration policies. RR's mission is to put human rights standards at the heart of global governance and policy-making and to ensure that the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable are addressed on the global stage.

http://www.realizingrights.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=39&Itemid=111

(Added: Wed Sep 20 2006   Modified: Fri Jan 19 2007   Hits: 247)

Reclaiming the Commons

The spirit that the many different campaigns and movements of the anti-globalisation movement share is a radical reclaiming of the commons. As our communal spaces-town squares, streets, schools, farms, plants-are displaced by the ballooning marketplace, a spirit of resistance is taking hold around the world. People are reclaiming bits of nature and of culture, and saying 'this is going to be public space'. (Naomi Klein, Talk at Centre for Social Theory & Comparative History, UCLA, April 2001)

http://home.mira.net/~deller/ethicalpolitics/blackwood/klein.htm

(Added: Fri Nov 10 2006   Hits: 148)

Responding to Globalization of Education in the Americas --Strategies to Support Public Education

Public education must play a central role in any society that values democracy and social justice. It follows that supporting public education must be a key part of the program of groups committed to making their society more democratic and equitable. Globalization as it is currently developing is a threat to these values of democracy and social equity and to public education systems that reflect and support those values. This analysis of the impact of globalization on education has six parts: 1. The neo-liberal nature of the globalization process; 2. Education and neo-liberal globalization; 3. How neo-liberal policies are being carried out in education; 4. How international trade and investment agreements, treaties and trading blocs are related to education policies; 5. The Free Trade Area in the Americas (FTAA) process and the Inter-American Education Program; and 6. Suggestions for trans-national strategies to defend public education. (Larry Kuehn, Civil Society Network for Public Education in the Americas, 1999)

http://www.vcn.bc.ca/idea/kuehn.htm

(Added: Mon Feb 19 2007   Hits: 134)

Rigged Rules and Double Standards - World Trade report by Oxfam

Oxfam International's new campaign on international trade issues on 12 April 2002, aiming to change the 'rigged rules and double standards' that prevent many poor nations from harnessing trade for development.

http://www.maketradefair.com/

(Added: Thu Apr 11 2002   Modified: Thu Jun 02 2005   Hits: 811)

Rising Inequality in the New Global Economy [PDF - 831KB]

In this transcript of her 2005 WIDER lecture Nancy Birdsall of the Centre For Global Development argues that, at a global level, inequality matters. Birdsall argues that high levels of inequality like those the globe currently experiences impede development, make the planet less safe and more prone to conflict, and are indicative of an unjust world. Moreover, Birdsall argues that, contrary to the opinions of globophiles like Thomas Friedman, there is nothing inherently equalising about globalisation and that, if we want a more equal world, we need to take action to make it. In particular, she argues what is required is a global social contract, through which the developed world assists the developing world in meeting the needs of its poorest. Among other interesting factoids presented her speech Birdsall notes that the richest 10 percent of Americans earn over 10,000 times as much as the poorest 10 percent of Ethiopians. Birdsall argues that such inequality is unsustainable.

http://www.cgdev.org/doc/commentary/birdsall/WIDERlecturefull.pdf

(Added: Mon Feb 13 2006   Hits: 319)

Roger Award for 2002

The winner of the Roger Award For the Worst Transnational Corporation In New Zealand in 2002: Tranz Rail. The criteria for judging are by assessing the transnational that has the most negative impact in New Zealand in each or all of the following fields: unemployment, monopoly, profiteering, abuse of workers/conditions, political interference/running an ideological crusade, environmental damage, cultural imperialism, impact on tangata whenua, impact on women, health and safety of workers and the public.

http://www.dev-zone.org/kcdocs/5232RogerAward02.html

(Added: Thu May 08 2003   Modified: Thu Jun 02 2005   Hits: 267)

SatireWire

SatireWire has been making fun of the International Monetary Fund since December of 1999.

http://www.satirewire.com/index.shtml

(Added: Tue Feb 19 2002   Modified: Thu Jun 02 2005   Hits: 257)

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