Alter-globalization (also known asalter-globo,alternative globalization oralter-mundialization—from the French alter-mondialisation) is asocial movement whose proponents support global cooperation and interaction, but oppose what they describe as the negative effects ofeconomic globalization, considering it to often work to the detriment of, or to not adequately promote, human values such asenvironmental andclimate protection,economic justice,labor protection,protection of indigenous cultures,peace andcivil liberties. The movement is related to theglobal justice movement.
The name may have been derived from a popular slogan of the movement, namely "another world is possible", which came out of theWorld Social Forum.[1] The alter-globalization movement is a cooperative movement designed to "protest the direction and perceived negative economic, political, social, cultural and ecological consequences ofneoliberal globalization".[2] Many alter-globalists seek to avoid the "disestablishment of local economies and disastrous humanitarian consequences". Most members of this movement shun the label "anti-globalization" as pejorative and incorrect since they actively support human activity on a global scale and do not oppose economic globalizationper se.
Proponents view the movement as an alternative to what they term "neoliberal globalization" in which international institutions (theWorld Trade Organization,World Bank,International Monetary Fund and the like) and major corporations devote themselves to enriching the developed world while giving little or no attention to what critics say are the detrimental effects of their actions on the people and environments ofless developed countries, countries whose governments are often too weak or too corrupt to resist or regulate them. This is not to be confused withproletarian internationalism as put forth bycommunists in that alter-globalists do not necessarily oppose thefree market, but a subset of free-market practices characterized by certain business attitudes and political policies[example needed] that they say often lead to violations of human rights.
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The 1970s saw resistance to global expansion by both government and non-government parties. U.S. SenatorFrank Church was concerned with the role multinational corporations were beginning to play in global trade and created a subcommittee that reviewed corporate practices to see if they were advancing U.S. interests or not (i.e. exporting jobs that could be kept within the United States). The results prompted some countries in theGlobal South (ranging from Tanzania to the Philippines) to call for rules and collective action that would raise or stabilize raw material prices and increase Southern exports.[3]
TheWorld Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 1999 brought significant attention to the outcry against neoliberal economic integration through media coverage, support groups, and activists.[how?] Though this opposition first became highly popularized in the1999 Seattle WTO protests, it can be traced back prior to the 1980s when theWashington Consensus became a dominant development in thinking and policymaking.[3]
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Alter-globalization activists fight for better treatment of developing countries and their economies, workers' rights, fair trade, and equal human rights.[4] They oppose theexploitation of labor, outsourcing of jobs to foreign nations (though some argue this is a nationalistic rather than alter-globalist motive), pollution of local environments, and harm to foreign cultures to which jobs are outsourced.
Aspects of the movement include:
Advocates of alter-globalization have set up an online global news network, theIndependent Media Center, to report on developments pertinent to the movement. Groups in favor of alter-globalization includeATTAC, an international trade reform network headquartered in France.
The largest forum for alter-globalization activity is the annualWorld Social Forum, organized as a democratic space reflecting the movement's values.[10]
