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Fabrice Collignon on "World Social Forum 2009: a generation’s challenge"

Fabrice Collignon — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 09:52:06 +0000

A useful analysis on the issues at stake in the alter-globalisation movement.
I hope it will be followed by reflection on how to maintain a dynamic within those three wings...
The challenge for me would be to maintain a dialogue and a constructive approach between those tendencies while giving the opportunity for the "local initiatives", which seems for me prevalent in western Europe, to become extended on a wider scale. This, in order that they would be able to play an effective role on international scale; I mean that they could shift the power balance between the global economical models.

book on "World Social Forum 2009: a generation’s challenge"

book — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 12:01:16 +0000

Yes, Geoffrey Pleyers article helps to analyse the situation of the Social Forum, although it does not shed much lighty on the reasons why " the movement is more united in what it has been against than in what it should now be for".

The participants WSF have focussed exclusively on cobatting the ideology and consequences of Neoliberalism. However, it is not possible to envisage 'another world' without tackling a series of social and political problems, which are little or nothing to do with Neoliberalism, or even Capitalism. Of these, two would need immediate attention:

1) the military relations of force, and thus also the political relations of force, in 'a nuclear age'; many (most?) of the WSF-goers are probably in favour nuclear disarmament; yet the WSF does not commonly understand itself, and is not commonly seen, as a disarmament movement;

2) internet governance, which may be seen as a potential new form of cybernetical world government, or fourth state power (in addition to the three traditional Montesquieuan ones). Is the WSF for or against building this new open space and public library of mankind to check and balance the powers national states and the corporations?

Not logged in Lawrence Efana on "World Social Forum 2009: a generation’s challenge"

Not logged in Lawrence Efana — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:46:53 +0000

This paper is timely. The variety of perspectives given: references shown] is important also. None is to be ruled out when reasoning alongside its writer.

Arm of the main issue is to find a fundamental political direction for movements of the kind highlighted. That is, to seek a way for them to rediscover themselves fruitfully on sound paths of: (a) country-specific strategies and (b) globalisation-oriented strategies. Both echo problem of our time. The core challenge is to work jointly on developing a concise but coherrent force to help states and the global world agree on the immediacy of a "different social order" as a realizable goal. "Immediacy", because things have been messed-up for too long. It is obvious that the tides are rapidly turning hence the 'cry-outs' for sustainable change.

It does not seem that 'anti-globalisation' movements can crystallise, in spite of earlier signs. That is, due to the interwined fate of the world: obvious with current weight of our environmental challenges.

Co-ordination of ideas from the references, well accessed, offers the platform to begin to think the processes more meaningfully politically and structurally. That platform derives from the writer's own three approaches: (i) Local approach, (ii) The advocacy approach, and (iii) The state approach.

Deep thinking leads to see "a transcendence": a string on which notion of "shared approach" might hang on. The case of country-specific strategies does not only parallel those of globalisation. Both actually overlap! A structure and political model, functional at both levels, separately and also integrally is possible to engineer. It would seem its finished-product could be such that weeds-out extremes and at the same time sufficiently and convincingly covers the center-left and center-right political-value fields.

Democracy sits well in the model - not that of the winner-takes-all, or oddly crippling coalitions, but that fully aware of the challenges of our time, and the cry-outs for change committed to a different social order.

Thinking about organs involved and history of the various endeavours, the arguments in given references make their cases, but if permitted, one could say that Susan George sews their core issues relatively well, calling for: (i) dispensing with plenaries - a matter of thinning down the steps and procedures]; and (ii) same as "getting beyond the phase of ritual denunciation - repeating truism and explaining ..."?

It is likewise about off-loading details, in view of scanty benefits reaped from unnecessary or loaded details, even if it could mean to keep abreast with current issues makes a strong case for organising "teach-ins".

Reflecting briefly, war on terror "usurped" a great deal: 'political rights' and 'civil liberties' got eaten-up. Many a time, peaceful demonstrations by "bare footed" soldiers were given ugly faces. Some also ended exacerbating violent protests.

The 'Neo-liberal' spirit proved itself thus also, now that nation-states and the global world are taking the stock of its "ruinous" lessons, hopefully to learn and agree on a new model for social, cultural, political, economic and no less environmental issues affecting states individually and collectively. It is about coming a way from the brink of destruction, but it will take God's led wisdom, honesty, pragmatism and purposefulness to do that. Can these explain why many seek solace looking on to current US President?

surya narayan on "World Social Forum 2009: a generation’s challenge"

surya narayan — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 04:29:13 +0000

Indeed, a very comprehensive treatment of the issue. I wonder whether the Forum could think in terms of evolving country-specific strategies-prioritising the countries on the basis of specific criteria- on the lines of "the shared approach" concept mentioned by the author, so that the Forum is taken more seriously by the powers that be.