Globalized Resistance

The model of the World Social Forum is that “another world is possible”. One free of globalization and capitalist exploitation, free of a racist and gendered society, a place we can all live in without the fear that we are destroying our environment. For many the World Social Forum is a joke, it presents no reasonable effort to change the system we are living in and it is primarily a gathering for activists and radicals to commiserate together. However, considering the advent of globalized resistance it is an interesting phenomenon. Furthermore, there is the question of what strategies to use against a system that is growing ever more solidified outside the bounds of nation-states, where people cannot get to the mechanisms of the system to try and change its course. Examples of the issues concerning strategy and isolated resistance are prevalent since the beginning of the economic crisis on the right and left. What the World Social Forum has been unable to achieve since TINA (This is no alternative) the economic crisis has aided in.

The spark—Greece

Greece has been the catalyst for social movements all over the world. After the shooting of a 15 year-old boy in Athens, the country went into chaos. Reacting to years of economic inequalities, police brutality, and governmental disillusionment. On December 6th the riots began and they would last for the entire month of December. These events consisted in sustained rioting in almost every major municipality in Greece and two separate two and three day General Strikes. The government did not step down and the riots were a failure in their goals, but a success in that they managed to spark scenes of outrage around the world.

Subsequently, the end of January would see general strikes, lock-outs, and riots in countries all over the world, not marching in solidarity with Greece, but working for their own rights. After Two weeks of protests, riots, and strikes Iceland collapsed and a new leftist government was elected. The same would occur in Latvia, where a month of strikes and riots, would bring the government down in February. Even in the authoritarian society of China there have been revolts against the government with people fighting for workers rights and benefits.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article5627687.ece
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aeUDEk2WjWRQ&refer=europe
www.fistfulofeuros.net/afoe/economics-and-demography/latvias-government-resigns/

In France general strikes have been occurring once every other month since the beginning of the crisis. They have drawn out people to march in the millions. However, a general strike is not effective if it doesn’t last for a few days. At this point, their movements have only been able to stay intact for two to three days.

http://www.guerrillanews.com/headlines/20011/General_Strike_in_France
http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13334113&fsrc=nwl
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/4394671/French-strikes-Violence-erupts-as-thousands-gather-to-protest-on-Black-Thursday.html

These sites’ articles describe the January general strikes and the most recent ones that happened on March 19th. The interesting thing about the French general strikes is that resistance is hardening, with unions and students aligning resistance against the status quo. For France, the result has been tumultuous, despite protests en masse and a vote of no confidence France still rejoined NATO and isn’t responding to the people’s demands. However, the events in France spilled over to its overseas territories (colonies), Guadeloupe and Martinique. Both of these islands have been on general strike for weeks. Recently both won negotiations with France and France gave in to their demands.

http://www.greenleft.org.au/2009/788/40587
http://www.workers.org/2009/world/guadeloupe_0319/

There have been riots, strikes and lockouts in countries all over the world in response to the collapse of the globalized system.

http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSLB96103520090312?sp=true
http://www.reuters.com/article/gc06/idUSTRE52F3PB20090316
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2009/03/27/afx6223702.html

With rises in unemployment, inflation, and the prices of food, gas, and most other basic commodities around the world, people are beginning to take notice and stand up. The fascinating thing about this is that after Greece activity around the world has skyrocketed. An economic disaster that may have remained localized in one nation in different time period has spread all over the world in a globalized system. Therefore the reaction has also been a global one. The interconnectedness of the human population (or our ability to interact in the noosphere) has precipitated the spread of subversive or radical activity. In this light it is arguable that as much as the Trans-national Corporation or the global Bourgeois have learned how to exploit the world, people are learning how to use the same system to communicate a message of resistance. However, I would argue that though the resources are available for a globalized resistance, people are unorganized and lack vision and strategy; therefore any action is petty and fruitless, leaving the people who know how to use the same globalized system to exploit unchallenged. This problem leaves a vacuum from which people like Skylar write in an optimistic light, explaining a systematic vision for how to fix this issue. When in reality they merely restate the obvious and provide no substantive stratagem. A globalized reaction exists, fervor exists, room for people to critique the status quo exists, but there is no cohesive alternative being presented. While we study globalization and wonder what we can do there are thousands marching towards some unknown end. The question remains as students in a high level institution safe from the problems of the world, shouldn’t we being reacting by trying to develop the very Stratagem that the entire planet lacks?

-Kevin C.