Anti-globalization

Anti-globalization is a term most commonly used to describe the political stance of the grouping of social movements which are prominent in protests against global trade agreements and the negative consequences for the poor, for the environment and for peace which they claim follow from them. Participants in these movements often reject the term "anti-globalization", preferring to describe themselves as the Global Justice Movement, the Movement of Movements, the alter-globalization movement or the Anti-corporate Movement.

Opposition to International Financial Institutions and Transnational Corporations

Protestors believe that the global financial institutions and agreements undermine local decision-making methods. Many governments and free trade institutions are seen as acting for the good of transnational (or multinational) corporations (e.g. Microsoft, Monsanto, etc.). These corporations are seen as having privileges that most human persons do not have: moving freely across borders, extracting desired natural resources, utilizing a diversity of human resources. They are perceived to be able to move on after doing permanent damage to the natural capital and biodiversity of a nation, in a manner impossible for that nation's citizens. Activists also claim that corporations impose a kind of "global monoculture". Some of the movements' common goals are, therefore, an end to the legal status of corporate personhood and the dissolution, or dramatic reform, of the World Bank, IMF, and WTO. As protest slogans summarize: "People and planet before profits", "The Earth is not for sale!", or "Teamsters and Turtles, Together At Last!".

Related Topics:
Corporation - Microsoft - Monsanto - Natural resources - Human resources - Natural capital - Biodiversity - Corporate personhood

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The activists are especially opposed to "globalization abuse" (neoliberalism), and international institutions that are perceived to promote neoliberalism without regard to ethical standards, such as the World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) and "free trade" treaties like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the Multilateral Agreement on Investments (MAI) and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). They claim that the "free trade", considering the economic gap between rich and poor countries, wouldn't be free but would result in enforcing the position of the industrialized nations, sometimes called the "North" in opposition to the developing world's "South".

Related Topics:
Neoliberalism - World Bank - International Monetary Fund - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - World Trade Organization - Free trade - North American Free Trade Agreement - Free Trade Area of the Americas - Multilateral Agreement on Investments - General Agreement on Trade in Services

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Activists often also oppose business alliances like the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Trans Atlantic Business Dialogue (TABD) and the Asia Pacific Economic Forum (APEC), as well as the governments which promote such agreements or institutions. Others argue that, if borders are opened to capital, borders should be similarly opened to allow free and legal circulation and choice of residence for migrants and refugees. These activists tend to target organizations such as the International Organization for Migration and the Schengen Information System.

Related Topics:
World Economic Forum - Trans Atlantic Business Dialogue - Asia Pacific Economic Forum - Refugee - International Organization for Migration - Schengen Information System

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It is sometimes also argued that US has special handicap in global economy becouse of dollar hegemony. They claims that dollar dominance is not just consequence of US economy superiority. History shows that dollar dominance has been achieved also by political moves such as Bretton Woods System agreement and OPEC dollar-only oil trade after US broke gold standard for dollar.

Related Topics:
Dollar hegemony - Bretton Woods System - Gold standard

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