Of the world's 100 largest economic entities, 51 are now corporations and 49 are countries.

Shall We Leave It to the Experts?
by ARUNDHATI ROY

Recently, globalization has come in for some criticism. The protests in Seattle and Prague will go down in history. Each time the WTO or the World Economic Forum wants to have a meeting, ministers have to barricade themselves with thousands of heavily armed police. Still, all its admirers, from Bill Clinton, Kofi Annan and A.B. Vajpayee (the Indian Prime Minister) to the cheering brokers in the stalls, continue to say the same lofty things: If we have the right institutions of governance in place--effective courts, good laws, honest politicians, participatory democracy, a transparent administration that respects human rights and gives people a say in decisions that affect their lives--then the globalization project will work for the poor as well. They call this "globalization with a human face."

The point is, if all this were in place, almost anything would succeed: socialism, capitalism, you name it. Everything works in Paradise, a Communist State as well as a Military Dictatorship. But in an imperfect world, is it globalization that's going to bring us all this bounty? Is that what's happening in India now that it's on the fast track to the free market? Does any one thing on that lofty list apply to life in India today? Are state institutions transparent? Have people had a say--have they even been informed, let alone consulted--about decisions that vitally affect their lives? And are Clinton (or now Bush) and Prime Minister Vajpayee doing everything in their power to see that the "right institutions of governance" are in place? Or are they involved in exactly the opposite enterprise? Do they mean something else altogether when they talk of the "right institutions of governance"?

The fact is that what's happening in India today is not a "problem," and the issues that some of us are raising are not "causes." They are huge political and social upheavals that are convulsing the nation. One is not involved by virtue of being a writer or activist. One is involved because one is a human being.
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thanks to also not found in nature

"Argentina, The 'Obedient' Victim"
An Interview with Uruguayan Writer Eduardo Galeano

Interviewer: Argentina did everything the IMF ordered, and it's a broken country -- what's the lesson to learn for Mexico?

Eduardo Galeano: It's not only a lesson for Mexico but for the whole world, but in general I'd say that people just shouldn't believe the story: one has to be a bit more careful; the discourse of power doesn't reveal, but conceals or disguises the truth. The lesson from Argentina is not to follow this (neoliberal) discourse that leads to extermination! And not only has it lead to the destruction of national economies, but it also has horrifying consequences beyond economics. This neo-liberal IMF discourse doesn't only reflect in massive poverty but also produces an offensive concentration of wealth among the few. It is like a slap on the face, a daily insult -- this ostentatious power of the few in the midst of the helplessness of the many.
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thanks to wood s lot

Pressurepoint says "No" to Yes Logo

To state that "Corporate culture has created more happiness than it has misery" is as blatant as to believe the myth perpetrated by the South during slavery; that blacks couldn't make it on their own, and that slavery was a benevolent system where blacks were taken care of by a warm and fuzzy extended family.

Yes, you're right Sean, one only has to read Upton Sinclair to see where industrial society was headed at the end of the 19th century, and you only have to read David Korten to see where it's headed now. Which is exactly the point. During this time last century people fought and died died for women's right of suffrage, to have an 8 hour working day and a decent wage, and the right to form a union. They certanily weren't given them as result of the great social largesse
of corporate wealth. And the struggle which we're engaged in now-the one which you so blithely dismiss with your "Yes Logo"- is the first truly international movement for social justice, and one which
is focused on overcoming the very thing you dismiss as not only un-winnable, but futile. By not even talking about this active resistance you've done a tremendous disservice to not only the
Stranger's readers, but also to the many thousands of people who have dedicated their lives to this work.
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thanks to Seattle IndyMedia

The Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy has a wealth of resources on the history of the corporation in the US, legal challenges to corporate charters, and other creative ways citizens can work together to re-establish democratic control over the economic, cultural and political environment. Other sources of information include:
PressurePoint | CorpWatch | Corporate Accountability Project | California Global Corporate Accountability Project | As You Sow | Endgame Research | Essential Action | In Fact | Stakeholder Alliance | STARC | No Logo | ŪTMark | Adbusters

thanks to Seattle IndyMedia