Lanterna Rally

Author: Gustave Massiah

Publisher:

Published: 2014-08-20

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781551646602

Strategy for the Alternative to Globalisation Gustave Massiah The work of Gustave Massiah gives the reader a basic understanding of the two opposing views on the world economy, the sociopolitical forces involved and the organisational challenges facing the World Social Forum. We have been told by the media about the World Economic Forum which brings together the Establishment to wheel and deal in Davos, Switzerland. Since the 1990s, however, the world-wide movement which poses an alternative to globalization has also been meeting in the form of the World Social Forum (WSF). Whereas the Davos meeting bring together up to 3000 invited members of the 1%, the most recent meeting in March 2013 brought together 58,000 activists from 4300 social movements in 110 different countries to discuss networking for basic change. Clearly, it is assuming a transformative importance of considerable dimensions. Even though the crisis of globalizing capitalism has largely confirmed its analysis, many are arguing in favor of the need for a second wind for this critical alternative movement. Consequently, what follows is a great interest in this work by Gustave Massiah, a major actor over a period of many years in the alternative movement, who shows the many features of its dynamics, but which also offers new perspectives for its further development and growth. In this remarkable book, he gives the reader a sense of how the 99% are challenging the 1% in an epochal confrontation to the power structure; the World Social Forum shows that, with alternatives, "another world is possible". Massiah contends that the world-wide economic crisis which began in 2007 is not simply the result of 'free-market' neo-liberalism, but rather has deeper roots in the globalization of capitalism. He demonstrates how the 'anti-system' resistances of those who stand for another form of globalization are posing an alternative based on equality and access for all to fundamental rights. Massiah examines the two basic questions facing the alternative movement: firstly, its relationship to power and to politics; secondly, the social foundation of the movement's alliances with the transformative social, ecological, political and cultural forces. The author draws our attention to the opportunities which the economic crisis offers to articulate alternative practices and public policies. This kind of analysis can encourage the emergence of a new solidarity on a large scale which, tomorrow, can give birth to a new world system fundamentally different from the current one. GUSTAVE MASSIAH is a French economist, urbanist and political activist. He is professor of urbanism at the Ecole spéciale d'architecture in Paris as well as a founder of ATTAC and member of the International Council of the World Social Forum. IMMANUEL WALLERSTEIN is former head of the Brandel Center for the Study of Economics, and currently senior research scholar at Yale University. "Massiah traces in detail, and with both balance and subtlety, the multiple historic choices, and why this culminated in the alter-globalization movement today. I emphasize the balance and subtlety without any sense that he is hesitant in putting forward a strong position of his own. That he does this in 300 pages is itself an achievement. Far from thinking it is too brief, the only doubt is perhaps he includes too much. But each time I felt this, reading the book, I saw later on why he needed all the detail. - IMMANUEL WALLERSTEIN, American sociologist and former head of the Brandel Center for the Study of Economics, Historical Systems and Civilization. Currently, the senior research scholar at Yale University. Author of the Preface of this book. "A very important book that gives us a long-view of an original process which brings thousands upon thousands of persons and movements together on a scale, an authentic scale, without historical precedent. Try as the old Left did with the First, Second, Third and Fourth Internationals, the World Social Forum outshines them all. The reasons for this have to be understood and built upon. It always gives me immense satisfaction to hear Gustave Massiah weave an analysis together of opportunities through which breaks can be made in the dominant system of power, and what underground social forces are at work, both taking apart the existing power structure while articulating alternatives."--DIMITRI ROUSSOPOULOS, editor of Participatory Democracy: Democratizing Democracy with C. George Benello. Table of Contents PART I Context of the Alterglobalist Movement 1 Critical Analysis of the Prevailing Logic Overview of the Phases of Capitalist Globalisation A World-Scale Vision The Foundations of the Neo-liberal Model Structural Adjustment Policies The Victory of Neo-liberalism Overview of Previous Reference Models Emergence of New Models in the Interwar Period Three Development Models How These Three Models Were Discredited by Neo-liberalism The Keynesian and Fordist Model of Regulation The Beginning of Waged Employment The National Independence Development Model The World Bank as Leader The Contradictions of Neo-liberalism Unequal Growth The Environment Paradigm The Crisis of Geopolitical Hegemony The Current Neo-liberal Phase The Ideology of Security: the Fourth Contradiction The Crisis of Neo-liberalism The Regulation of the International System Is at the Heart of the Debate 2008, the Crisis of Neo-liberalism and the Crisis of Capitalism What Are the Current Crises? Threats and Opportunities of the Crisis Immediate Responses: a Lull in the Crisis or an Exit? Change Has Now Become Absolutely Necessary 2 The Emergence of the Alterglobalist Movement The Foundations of the Movement An Anti-systemic Movement An Historic Emancipation Movement Main Phases of the Alterglobalist Movement 1980-89: Struggles Against Debt, Hunger and Structural Adjustments 1989-1999: Contesting the International Institutions and Globalisation 2000-2008: the World Social Forum Process and the Transition to Alterglobalism A New Phase of Alterglobalism and a New Cycle of Social Forums Started in 2008 Analysis of the Social Forum Process Political Culture Organisation of the Forums A Few Questions About the Process Reinforcement of Actions Impact of the Forums From Resistance to Proposals and Alternatives The Alterglobalist Movement's Strategic Debate PART II The Strategy of the Alterglobalist Movement 3 Access to Rights and the Democratic Imperative Access to Rights for All An Alternative to Neo-liberalism An Objective: Equality of Rights One Possible Implementation That is Already in Place The Approach to Rights in the Long Term The Declarations of Rights The Social Question International Law Decolonisation and the Rights of Peoples Economic, Social and Cultural Rights A New Generation of Fundamental Rights The Democratic Imperative Democracy and Ideologies Disenchantment and Legitimacy World Democracy The Struggles for Global Democratisation 4 Power and Politics Social Bases and Alliances Convergence of the Movements Unity of the Movements Contradictions of NGOs and Associations The Strengths of the Multitudes The Issue of Alliances Power and Social Transformation Debate on the State and Crisis of the Nation-State State of Exception and Social State Role of the State in Social Transformation Power and Strategy The Instrumentalisation of Terrorism The Taking of Power and Social Transformation 5 Possible Outcomes of the Global Crisis The Neo-conservative Outcome: Repression and War Social Austerity The Calling into Question of Freedoms Conflicts and Wars Reforming Capitalism: the Green New Deal The Green Capitalism Perspective The Alterglobalist Movement and the Green New Deal Going Beyond Capitalism The Radical Alternatives in the Crisis Alternatives to the Capitalist System PART III From Strategy to Alternatives 6 Citizens Regulation, Forms of Property and Equality of Rights Public and Citizens Regulation Questioning Financialisation The Commons The Redistribution of Wealth and Income Minimum Wages and Resource Ceilings Access to Rights and Public Services A Radical Reform of Public Services Free Services and the Open-source Software Movement 7 The Environmental Imperative and Democracy The Environmental and Social Emergency A Few Ecology Debates Citizen Expertise and the Building of Alternative Knowledge Crisis of Civilisation and Well-being Democratic Representations and Freedoms A Radical Democratisation of Democracy Civil Society and Cultural Hegemony Partnerships Through Cooperation Between Societies Two Revealing Phenomena in the Current Period: the Women's Movement and Migrant Rights 8 The Completion of Decolonisation and Global Regulation A New Phase of Decolonisation Evolution of the Societies and States That Came out of Decolonisation The North/South Representation The Geopolitical Crisis The Second Phase of Decolonisation Global Public Regulation Evolution of the United Nations International System World Democracy and the Global Social Contract A Radical Reform of the United Nations Conclusion: Reform and revolution Review of Strategic Thinking Envisioning the Transition Ruptures and Continuities Epilogue: The Movement's Strategic Challenges The Global Situation Possible Futures Differentiation of the World's Major Regions The Geopolitical Disruption of the World The Alterglobalist Movement The WSF Process Organisation of the Process and Role of the International Council The New Movements A Need to Reinvent Politics Appendices 1 Summary of Radical Reforms and Alternatives Radical Reforms Radical Alternatives 2 Fifteen years of World Social Forums: Summary Table 3 Websites of Organisations Involved in the Alterglobalist Strategy Debate Publication date: November 2013.