A newscaster on an Arab TV channel informed us during a broadcast that the anti-globalization demonstrators in Genoa had demanded that wealthy nations stop looting the resources of poor countries. Though that may have been his interpretation of what was going on, it was for sure not among the demonstrators’ demands in Seattle, London, or Genoa.
Anti-globalization, in my opinion, has been glorified while at the same time, there is insufficient information about the demonstrators’ demands. No doubt they are opposed to the superpowers, multinational companies and an open market.
This is confirmed by a comment I received from a reader. He asked me why I support globalization when it is rejected by many in the countries that began the process. In addition, the same reader accused me of intentionally trying to pervert the concepts of the movement by saying that it contained a large number of leftists.
The fact is that globalization is resisted by a group of people in the West while the whole issue of globalization is still unclear in our part of the world. To anyone who reads the Arab press, what will become clear is the wide scope of confusion within that group which goes by the name of Arab intellectuals. These intellectuals are themselves opposed to globalization, the influence of multinational companies and the open markets; so, it is not to be expected that whatever is said by this movement is in defense of our interests.
In my opinion, we should first look after our own before we support or condemn anti-globalizationists or their enemies. Most supporters of the big demonstration that took place in Seattle were members of US labor unions because the unions oppose an international common market. The US labor unions fear that the market resulting from World Trade Organization (WTO) membership will affect the US labor market negatively since such countries as India, Bangladesh, Egypt and Korea where labor is cheap will attract US industries.
In the past, these same labor unions fought against America’s southern neighbor, Mexico, being open to US companies for the same reason. There are advantages to an international market such as industrialists being attracted by cheap manpower. Industry will aid those countries as they move towards development.
The disadvantages are that the advanced countries will crush simple industries in medium and poor countries which cannot compete with them due to the lack of quality and operational capabilities.
In addition to the labor unions, there is a leftist movement trying to marshal itself against the umbrella of globalization.
As a response to my reader, I say that it is not enough to be convinced by what a newsreader said about glorifying the anti-globalization demonstrators. If we look at the banners and T-shirts they wore, we will see the images of Mao, Che Guevara and Lenin.
I hope that the reader will not return and say that the demonstrators are intruders because they themselves did not say that.
