Democracy Uprising
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Democracy Uprising

  • About
    • About Mark Engler
    • About Democracy Uprising
  • Books
    • This Is An Uprising
    • How To Rule the World
  • Topics
    • All Immigration Labor Latin America Social Movements Religion U.S. Politics / Elections War / Militarism Book Reviews Environment Essays / First Person Global Economy
      Social Movements

      Could we be entering a ‘movement moment’ against…

      Social Movements

      Trump’s backpedaling shows he’s not invincible

      Blog

      It’s going to take multiple strategies to win…

      2023-2025

      A new wave of movements against Trumpism is…

      Social Movements

      How to make sure your disruptive protest helps…

      Social Movements

      Why protests work, even when not everybody likes…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      Harold Washington’s lessons for taking on a political…

      Social Movements

      Strategy is a Craft

      Immigration

      When Undocumented Activists Infiltrated ICE

      Immigration

      The Children of Intervention

      Immigration

      Immigration Economics: An Interview with Professor Giovanni Peri

      Immigration

      Science Fiction From Below

      Immigration

      Four Ways of Looking at an Aztec Eagle

      Immigration

      Treated Like a Criminal

      Immigration

      When Sanctuary is Resistance

      Immigration

      The Massive Immigrants Rights Protests of 2006 Are…

      Labor

      This new model for upholding labor law may…

      Labor

      Democrats Won Power in Several States. Will They…

      Labor

      The Case for a Social Distancing Wage

      Labor

      The Seattle Protests Showed That Another World Is…

      Labor

      Reviving the General Strike

      Labor

      Jeff Bezos Has Enough! It’s Time for a…

      Labor

      There’s Still Power in a Strike

      Labor

      The Amazon Effect: Sweat, Surveillance, Exploitation

      Latin America

      How movements can maintain their radical vision while winning…

      Latin America

      The Pan American

      Latin America

      Lessons from the Pledge of Resistance

      Latin America

      The Children of Intervention

      Latin America

      Against Shithole Nationalism

      Latin America

      The Last Porto Alegre

      Latin America

      Kissinger Is Not Our Friend

      Latin America

      Even If You Have Nothing to Hide

      Social Movements

      Could we be entering a ‘movement moment’ against…

      Social Movements

      Trump’s backpedaling shows he’s not invincible

      Social Movements

      It’s going to take multiple strategies to win…

      Social Movements

      A new wave of movements against Trumpism is…

      Social Movements

      How to make sure your disruptive protest helps…

      Social Movements

      Why protests work, even when not everybody likes…

      Social Movements

      Harold Washington’s lessons for taking on a political…

      Social Movements

      Strategy is a Craft

      Religion

      In God’s Country

      Religion

      Reverend Billy’s Holiday Shopocalypse

      Religion

      Toward the “Rights of the Poor”

      Religion

      The Pope and the Poor

      Religion

      Will the Next Pope Embrace Liberation Theology?

      Religion

      Remembering Romero

      Religion

      John Paul II’s Economic Ethics

      Religion

      Against the God of Free Trade

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      Could we be entering a ‘movement moment’ against…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      Trump’s backpedaling shows he’s not invincible

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      It’s going to take multiple strategies to win…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      A new wave of movements against Trumpism is…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      Harold Washington’s lessons for taking on a political…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      Strategy is a Craft

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      Think #MeToo didn’t make a real difference? Think…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      This new model for upholding labor law may…

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      Does It Make Sense to Protest a President…

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      Is Rambo Still A Republican?

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      Those Who Don’t Count

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      The Dangerous Dignity of War

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      Capitalism as Catastrophe

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      Ordinary Outrages

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      No Better Place

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      In God’s Country

      Environment

      Why Wendell Matters

      Environment

      The Gulf at the Gas Station

      Environment

      Climate Disobedience

      Environment

      Farming the Everglades

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      The Winter of the Climate Denier

      Environment

      Climate of Change: An “Inside-Outside” Strategy Against Global…

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      Provoking an American Climate Crisis

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      The Real “Farmer” Story: So God Made High-Fructose…

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      Is Rambo Still A Republican?

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      Republicans Among Us

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      The Sideshow Rebels

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      Meet the Bailout’s New Slush Fund for Corporate…

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      The Seattle Protests Showed That Another World Is…

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      Jeff Bezos Has Enough! It’s Time for a…

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      The Amazon Effect: Sweat, Surveillance, Exploitation

      Global Economy

      The Godfather of Microcredit

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      Capitalism as Catastrophe

      Global Economy

      Immigration Economics: An Interview with Professor Giovanni Peri

      Global Economy

      The World Is Not Flat

  • Translations
    • All Français Italiano Japanese Português Arabic Thai Chinese Deutsch Español
      Translations

      Jordlösa kombinerar radikala visioner med praktiska reformer (Swedish)

      Español

      Hacer Que Nuestras Demandas Sean Tanto Orácticas Como…

      Italiano

      C’è più di un modo per colpire il…

      Português

      As reformas não reformistas de André Gorz mostram…

      Español

      Las reformas no reformistas de André Gorz

      Deutsch

      Die nicht-reformistischen Reformen von André Gorz

      Italiano

      Richieste dei movimenti: sia pratiche che visionarie

      Chinese

      泛美洲人 爱德华多·加莱亚诺的世界 (Chinese)

      Français

      La révolution non-violente a-t-elle échoué en Egypte?

      Français

      Le pari risqué du populisme au Pérou

      Français

      Hong Kong Phooey

      Français

      Bush Nuit Même Aux Compagnies U.S.

      Français

      Le dynamisme du mouvement pour la paix

      Français

      La déroute de l’ALCA dans une Miami en…

      Français

      Ceux qui ne comptent pas

      Français

      La guerre en Irak : une expo des…

      Italiano

      C’è più di un modo per colpire il…

      Italiano

      Richieste dei movimenti: sia pratiche che visionarie

      Italiano

      La strategia di Gandhi per il successo –…

      Italiano

      Le promesse infrante di Obama

      Italiano

      Guantanamo deve sparire

      Italiano

      IL BANK TRANSFER DAY: UN SUCCESSO

      Italiano

      Come il movimento Occupiamo Wall Street si sta…

      Italiano

      Economia tabù

      Japanese

      ガンジーはどのように勝利したのか? (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Truth Versus Superpower (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Bush’s Bad Business Empire (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Revenge of the Combat Cartoonist (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Bush’s Uneasy Mexican Visita (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Mark Twain in Iraq (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Globalization’s “Lost Decade” (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Hawks Say the Damnedest Things (Japanese)

      Português

      As reformas não reformistas de André Gorz mostram…

      Português

      A vida na Nação Prisão

      Português

      Outro pretexto?

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      Imigração tem efeito positivo sobre emprego e salários

      Português

      O império hipotecado

      Arabic

      Abandoning the World Bank (in Arabic)

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      The Return of Daniel Ortega (in Arabic)

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      Where’s The Jubilee? (in Arabic)

      Arabic

      The Last Porto Alegre (in Arabic)

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      2006: A Global Justice Year in Review (In…

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      WTO: Best Left For Dead? (In Thai)

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      Deutsch

      Die nicht-reformistischen Reformen von André Gorz

      Deutsch

      Als Martin Luther King seine Feuerwaffen aufgab

      Deutsch

      Mikrokredite: Die Entlassung eines Nobelpreisträgers

      Deutsch

      CAFTA – am besten stillschweigend beerdigen

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      Bush in Mexiko

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      Das globale Duell in Evian

      Deutsch

      Die Rückkehr des Daniel Ortega

      Español

      Hacer Que Nuestras Demandas Sean Tanto Orácticas Como…

      Español

      Las reformas no reformistas de André Gorz

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      ¿Adoptará el nuevo papa la teología de la…

      Español

      Wall Street quiere que les estemos agradecidos

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      Si Las Monjas Se Fueran a una Huelga,…

      Español

      ALEC retrocede; a la derecha le da un…

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      La vida en la nación prisión

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Global EconomySocial Movements2003-2004

Global Showdown in Evian

by Mark Engler May 29, 2003
written by Mark Engler May 29, 2003
Global Showdown in Evian

The real voices of international concern at the G8 summit will be coming from the streets.

Published in Foreign Policy In Focus.


The world capital of designer water—Evian, France—may be a fitting city to host the heads of state from the eight most powerful industrial nations. But the image of wealthy leaders sipping “l’original” gourmet H20 will hardly help the G8, as the exclusive group is known, to defend itself against charges of being an elitist and undemocratic forum.

Given that many in this group of countries opposed the invasion of Iraq, commentators will be closely watching the how tensions between the U.S. and “Old Europe” evolve during President Bush’s trip to France. However, the real clash in international vision will be taking place outside the meeting halls, on the streets.

Debt and arms control, two important issues on the Evian meeting’s agenda, show that those who gather to protest are not only voicing important criticisms about the illegitimacy of the meeting, but are also proposing vital solutions to international problems.

Debt relief, the question of whether wealthy nations should free poorer ones from the burden of making crushing loan payments, has held a central place in discussion in G8 meetings over the last five years. This year, the debate is back again, but in an unusual form. The United States, which has traditionally been among the most reticent to grant real debt relief, now argues that forgiveness is essential—for Iraq.

Iraq owes upwards of sixty billion dollars to foreign creditors, plus reparations for its invasion of Kuwait. President Bush is concerned that, without relief, the country would be forced to spend so much of its economic resources on debt service that reconstruction would be impossible.

The other G8 countries don’t necessarily disagree. However, European leaders are not thrilled about having the debt debate hijacked at the service of unilateralist U.S. foreign policy prerogatives. The Bush administration’s treatment of other debtor countries suggests that the President’s newfound sympathy has more to do with vindicating his “regime change” than with any humanitarian change of heart.

Just last month, the White House blocked the creation of a Sovereign Debt Restructuring Mechanism at the International Monetary Fund. Although most of the world, including European trade ministers, supported the mechanism—in essence a global bankruptcy court—the U.S. argued that it would be too expensive to even consider allowing debt-crushed countries to legally default on their private loans.

The example of Iraq illustrates a point that protestors from the Jubilee debt relief coalition have made for years: Much of the debt held by countries in the developing world is in fact “odious”—the result of loans that wealthy creditors made to tyrannical governments. It is simply inhumane for G8 countries, including the U.S., to saddle impoverished citizens these debts after the dictators fall.

If wealthy countries are serious about aiding freedom, they must recognize the illegitimacy not only of Iraq’s obligations, but of all odious debt.

Disarmament and non-proliferation, which will rank high on the Evian meeting’s agenda, represent a second area in which protesters, rather than the governments, are offering humane international solutions.

During its action in Iraq, the U.S. presented itself as the only country willing to take the lead against weapons of mass destruction. But the U.S. has impeded virtually every major diplomatic effort at arms control now on the map—from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and the biological weapons treaty to new efforts to control land mines, small arms, the sale of weapons to repressive governments, or the deployment of arms in space.

The G8 as a whole has a somewhat better record. However, the fact that countries like France, Russia, Germany and the U.K. stand with the U.S. as the world’s leading dealers of conventional weaponry has often led them to oppose restrictions on arms sales to dictators. These five countries together were responsible for nearly $83 billion worth of arms transfers between 1997 and 2001.

Recognizing that an effective pursuit of a safer world cannot be based on the narrow self-interest of world powers, popular movements have demanded strong controls on the production, use, and marketing of weaponry—whether conventional, chemical, or nuclear.

The non-proliferation proposals that Jacques Chirac intends to put on the table at Evian will no doubt merit international attention. But since the U.S. and other G8 countries consistently bargain based on shortsighted visions of their national well-being, their watered-down agreements will fall far short of the vision of “human security” advocated on the streets.

Protesters’ arguments about arms and debt illustrate a larger criticism of the G8. Having powerful global elites get together to shape the current world order may be realpolitik, but it’s not democracy. Nor are the institutions that the G8 has championed, like the World Trade Organization and the IMF, representative bodies of global governance.

If the goal is freedom, or making the world a safer place, then rule by the rich will never prevail. Until the official venues are reconstituted to allow the voices of the world to speak, protests outside will be needed to call for a real multilateralism.

__________

Research assistance for this article provided by Katie Griffiths.

Mark Engler

Mark Engler is a writer based in Philadelphia and an editorial board member at Dissent magazine. His latest book, written with Paul Engler, is entitled This Is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt Is Shaping the Twenty-First Century.

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A new wave of movements against Trumpism is...

November 9, 2024

How to make sure your disruptive protest helps...

August 9, 2024

Why protests work, even when not everybody likes...

July 10, 2024

Harold Washington’s lessons for taking on a political...

February 21, 2024

Strategy is a Craft

January 24, 2024

Think #MeToo didn’t make a real difference? Think...

November 28, 2023

This new model for upholding labor law may...

November 2, 2023

Could we be entering a ‘movement moment’ against...

April 10, 2025

Trump’s backpedaling shows he’s not invincible

March 19, 2025

It’s going to take multiple strategies to win...

January 31, 2025

A new wave of movements against Trumpism is...

November 9, 2024

How to make sure your disruptive protest helps...

August 9, 2024

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The Author

Mark Engler is a writer based in Philadelphia and an editorial board member at Dissent magazine. His latest book, written with Paul Engler, is entitled This Is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt Is Shaping the Twenty-First Century (Nation Books). Mark’s full bio is available here.

Latest Articles

  • Could we be entering a ‘movement moment’ against Trump?

    April 10, 2025
  • Trump’s backpedaling shows he’s not invincible

    March 19, 2025
  • It’s going to take multiple strategies to win under Trump 2.0

    January 31, 2025
  • A new wave of movements against Trumpism is coming

    November 9, 2024
  • How to make sure your disruptive protest helps your cause

    August 9, 2024

Mark’s Articles Appear In:

  • Dissent
  • The Nation
  • The New Republic
  • N+1
  • Salon.com
  • The Los Angeles Times
  • Waging Nonviolence
  • Boston Review
  • The Atlantic
  • Rolling Stone
  • The Guardian
  • In These Times
  • TomDispatch
  • New Internationalist
  • Yes! Magazine
  • Audubon Magazine
  • Jacobin
  • Mother Jones
  • Le Monde diplomatique
  • Grist Magazine
  • Rebelión
  • The San Francisco Chronicle
  • The Progressive
  • Newsday
  • openDemocracy
  • Truthout
  • Christian Science Monitor
  • Dollars & Sense
  • Progreso Semanal
  • Chicago Reader
  • Sin Permiso
  • Baltimore Sun
  • The Ecologist
  • TruthDig
  • Asia Times
  • Sierra Magazine
  • Labor Notes
  • New Politics
  • The Catholic Worker
  • The Des Moines Register
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

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