Globalization And
It's Malcontents
By Norman
Solomon
zmag
One of the big media buzzwords to emerge in
recent years is "globalization." By now, we're likely to know what it
means. That's unfortunate -- because at this point the word is so ambiguous
that it doesn't really mean much of anything.
News outlets have reported that key
international pacts like NAFTA and the World Trade Organization gained
Well, not quite. These days, at the White
House and on Capitol Hill, the same boosters of "globalization" are
upset about certain types of global action -- such as the current grassroots
movement against a war on
For the most part, the same elected
officials and media commentators who have applauded money-driven globalization
are now appalled by the sight of anti-war globalization. The recent spectacle
of millions of people demonstrating against war on the same day around the
world was enough to cause apoplexy at the White House.
That's consistent with a recurring pattern:
"Pro-globalization" forces are unhappy to see the globalizing of
solidarity for labor rights, economic justice, the
environment and alternatives to war.
A similar contradiction belies the media
image of "anti-globalization" activists as foes of internationalism
who want to rigidify national boundaries, reinforce isolation and prevent
worldwide interactions. On the contrary, advocates for human rights,
environmental protection and peace -- while largely opposing global
superstructures like NAFTA and the WTO -- have been busily creating ways to
work with like-minded people all over the planet.
The form of "globalization" deemed
worthy of the name by media is corporate globalization, which gives massive
capital even more momentum to flatten borders and run roughshod over national
laws. Deluging every country with Nikes, Burger Kings and ATMs is presumptively
indicative of progress, no matter how bad the working conditions, how unhealthy
the products or how unjust the economic consequences. Meanwhile, fans of
"globalization" routinely contend that protection of labor rights or the environment amounts to unfair restraint
of trade, retrograde protectionism and antiquated resistance to
"reforms."
By itself, "globalization" is much
too simplistic a word to tell us anything. The term is so murky that we may
need to discard it, or at least develop some new phrases to bring realities
into focus.
Today, the war-crazed Bush administration
and the bipartisan majority of enablers in Congress are fervent proponents of
what might be called "isolationist intervention." Sure, the
present-day American leaders proclaim their global vision and declare that they
want to engage with the world, but on their own terms -- with the
The gist of this approach to
"globalization" was well expressed by the glib pundit Thomas
Friedman, whose 1999 book "The Lexus and the Olive Tree" lauded the
tandem roles of corporate capitalism and American militarism. "The hidden
hand of the market will never work without a hidden fist," he wrote.
"McDonald's cannot flourish without McDonnell Douglas, the designer of the
U.S. Air Force F-15. And the hidden fist that keeps the world safe for
This veiled hand-and-fist stance is being
actively rejected by millions of people marching through cities in many parts
of the world. And the leaders of numerous countries are giving voice to that
rejection. Speaking to the U.N. Security Council on Feb. 18,
The globalization of that movement is
something to behold. And nurture.
"Target