Seattle '99, marriage party of the Left and the Right?
At the end of november the members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) will discuss their new Millennium Round in Seattle. The North American town will see a whole series of demonstrations, actions and discussion meetings. By now a very diverse mixture of activists, lobbyists and politicians are gathering under the vague banner of the anti-globalisation movement. Both the Left and the Right are joining and seem to have put their quarrels aside.
"A historic change is under way at the very heart of the globalisation-process: millions of people are mobilising. Tens of thousands of them will be in Seattle"1, says lobbyist Susan George. "The fight against the WTO and all it stands for is in my view the main one. There is even a chance of winning this fight."2 George is one of the foremost European lobbyists against "the globalisation". Many lobbyists seem to somewhat overrate the movement. "Seattle will be the protest of the century", some of her colleagues say, without much knowledge of history. "The bosses are scared", others add. But who are they supposed to be scared of? The Left has not been a very strong force since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and it hardly exists nowadays. That's why the lobbyists are no longer exclusively looking to their left. They have started to actively build a new worldwide movement, in which not only left leaning people, but also conservatives, nationalists and even the New Right must be able to feel at home. The extremely unclear concept of "globalisation" comes of good use. Political activists of all creeds can project their own problems on it.
George and some 60 other lobbyists, researchers and opinionleaders and their NGO's are members of the International Forum on Globalisation (IFG), an elite thinktank. They organize a congres in Seattle and don't get tired repeating that they expect some 2400 participants. IFG-members often participate at meetings all around the world. They are the main driving force behind the campaigns against "the globalisation", and they initiated the actions against both the MAI and the WTO.
They want to bring the Left and the Right together in one big movement, and they seem to be getting succesful. Therefore the IFG-lobbyists cherish their somewhat progressive image and at the same time try to remain acceptable for the Right. But after reading their articles and books it gets very clear: the IFG is politically Right-wing and very conservative. By criticizing "the globalisation" and multinationals they try to use the remaining Left-wing activists to further their own conservative goals, and also try to influence them ideologically. Therefore the IFG are a danger to the already vulnerable Left.
In the Netherlands, a lot of Left-wing activists are also enthousiastically participating every time the IFG-members initiate a new campaign. They are also organising actions at the end of november, taking part in the worldwide coordinated protests. In the beginning of this year the Dutch organisation "De Fabel van de illegaal", together with some other groups, was still actively asking organisations to sign the NGO-declaration on the WTO, which was written by some IFG-members. When the ideas of the IFG got more clear to them, De Fabel decided to stop, although other groups continued. In the near future De Fabel will publish an analysis of the Right-wing ideas of the foremost IFG-members.
French culture in danger
Seattle prepares for the reception of activists from many countries. Peoples' Global Action (PGA) this time organises 2 action caravans to the WTO-meeting. One across the US, including activists from Chiapas, Mexico. And another one from Canada, ending at the elite IFG-meeting. A strange choise, for the PGA is known as a Left-wing grassroots movement. Also expected in Seattle are eco-activists, union-members, steelworkers, lorrydrivers, farmers, fishermen, mailmen, women's rights activists, artists, students, gay and lesbian activists and pacifists. Only a small minority will want to get rid of capitalism all together. The rest will rather have an international regulation of "the economy" or will chose for a nationalist future.
The French farmer and leader of the Confederation Paysanne (CP), José Bové, no doubt belongs to the nationalist category. The farmers of the CP are angry with the US-government, which doubled the import-tariffs on French cheese, in revenge of the decision of the EU to put a ban on meat with hormones coming from the US. The farmers immediately started an dynamic campaign against McDonald's, which is after all an American multinational.
The angry farmers organised many actions, and even broke down a complete McDonald's restaurant in Millau. Last june farmers from India, arriving with the PGA action caravan, came to help a bit. At home they also have a tradition of attacking American companies. The French farmers also disturbed an American filmfestival, because they are very much worried about their own French culture. Bové got arrested, but was released shortly after. He send his regards to the French premier and president for their support, and received a ticket to Seattle from the ministery of agriculture, to defend the French interests there. Except for the French Communist Party and the Front National also some Dutch anti-globalisation activists reacted very positieve to the farmers' actions. They called for solidarity with Bové.3
Supporting working families
"The Seattle summit will be a historic confrontation between civil society and corporate rule", says Mike Dolan. He works for the American consumer watchdog group Public Citizen founded by Ralph Nader. Public Citizen is connected to the IFG and initiated the campaign against the MAI-treaty.
Dolan now acts as the great coordinator and spokesmen of the countermovement in Seattle. Not everyone seems to be happy with him, but little can be done about his presence. He sits in the middle of the web, like a spider. On the one hand Dolan supports the American PGA caravan with several thousand dollars, on the other hand he speaks up for the extreme Right Pat Buchanan, now a candidate for the American presidency, representing the Reform Party. "Whayever else you say about Pat Buchanan, he will be the only candidate in the 2000 presidential sweepstakes who will passionately and unconditionally defend the legitimate expectations of working families in the global economy"4, Dolan writes.
Indeed, Buchanan supports American workers. As long as they are conservative and obedient, and not umemployed, black, gay, woman, lesbian or jewish. He's also not particularly fond of Left wing workers. Buchanan on Argentina: "With military and police and free lance operators, between 6.000 and 150.000 leftists disappeared. Brutal: yes; also succesful. Today peace reigns in Argentina; security has been restored."5
Closed eyes
Former Republican bigshot Buchanan is known for his sharp attacks om international trade treaties like GATT, NAFTA, MAI and now WTO. "Traditional antagonists as politically far apart as Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan are finding some common ground on trade issues."6, says IFG-member Mark Ritchie. Hij is also director of the American Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy that supports small farmers. Reform Party spokesman in New Hampshire John Talbott agrees with Ritchie. "If you close your eyes, it is difficult to hear much of a difference between Ralph Nader on the left and Pat Buchanan on the right when they talk about the devastating effect of free international trade on the American worker and a desire to clean big money and special interests out of Washington"7
According to Buchanan this big capital is mainly in the hands of "the jews". He presents himself as "the only leader in this country who is not afraid of fighting against the jewish lobby"8. Buchanan calls Hitler "an individual of great courage" and doubts whether the holocaust really was that big an event.9
But "jewish capital" isn't the most important reason why Buchanan wants to be a candidate for the presidency. No, in the first place he wants to end "illegal immigration", that is, according to Buchanan, "helping fuel the cultural breakdown of our nation"10.
The populist Buchanan is probably the foremost representative of the extreme Right in the US. His constituency consists of christian fundamentalists, militia members and neo nazi's. These millions of people might explain Dolans' flirt with Buchanan. Together with his enthousiastic commentary Dolan send around an newspaper article in which Buchanan openly says: "American workers and people first."11 But Buchanan is not alone in that opinion. Also the big Right wing trade union AFL-CIO wants to make "the rights and interests of US workers a priority".12 The Union also mobilizes their rank and file for the demonstrations in Seattle.
The government is not the enemy
When Dolans work and ideas got criticized from the grassroots level, the coordinator of the American PGA caravan immediately toke his side. "Let's work together when we can, work in parallel when we must, but never work against each other when our goal is the elimination of the WTO and its corporate benefactors."13
While organizing Dolan keeps repeating his mantra: "Remember, for us, the enemy isn't these governments that comprise the WTO. The enemy is the trans-national corporate, free trade lobby."14 By consequence Dolan can perfectly work together with the Right wing Republican council member Derdowski, who earlier initiated plans for a Seattle MAI free zone. Also according to Derdowski the discussion around the WTO trancends the old borders between the Left and the Right. "The issue for conservatives is the sovereignty of America, the constitution. State and local authority is in danger of being eroded through international treaties, ceding authority to foreign regulatory bodies."15
Together with the Republicans Dolan organizes a demonstration in Seattle. On a meeting they brainstormed on how to get the conservative inhabitants of the affluent districts of Seattle to also take to the streets. They decided to put IFG-member David Korten on the task. They assumed this ex-businessman would easily connect to the rich.16 Shortly after, Korten showed up at the grassroots level. He acted as most important guest lecturer at a strategy meeting on nonviolent direct action. Korten is probably the foremost ideologue of the movement against "the globalisation". He would very much like to return to the 50's, when the economy was, according to him, still local and capitalism was not yet "perverted". His second hangup is neo-malthusian. He wants to reduce the world population from 6 to 1 billion. How? That he has wisely not yet revealed.17
Crucial battles
George also actually believes that "state sovereignty" is "under threat".18 Therefore she wants us to strive for the "greatest possible unity".2 The need for that also became clear to George in the US fight against the fast-track, a special presidential authority to push through trade treaties. "The anti-NAFTA and anti-WTO forces of the left defeated fast-track authority for the president only with the help of the far right. It was still a good thing to defeat fast-track."19 Ritchie, her colleague at the IFG, also has good deal of experience in working together with the extreme Right. "Aside from Nader and Buchanan, the anti-GATT and NAFTA trade alliance include a wide spectrum of what would have previously been called left and right elements. This diversity of views and constituencies gave the campaigns much of their strenght.6.
De Fabel van de illegaal, on the other hand, fights the coming together of the Left and the Right. Whoever starts working with the Right automatically drops migrants, women and gays as potential allies, for they are always under attack of the Right. The last couple of months De Fabel heavily criticized the working together with the Right. Articles were written on the ideas and activities of the New Right ideologist Goldsmith, who is also an important IFG-member and sponsor to the thinktank.20 George got very angry about the criticism. De Fabel was splitting up the movement, she wrote. And because of that "we" would lose the "crucial battles" that "will be fought" in Seattle2.
Miljonair Goldsmith was put on program of the IFG conference in Seattle, but meanwhile he has been taken off. Whether the cancellation of his lecture has anything to do with the criticism of de Fabel remains unclear.
Merijn Schoenmaker Eric Krebbers (De Fabel van de illegaal)
Notes: 1. Seattle prepares for battle, Susan George. In: Le Monde Diplomatique, november 1999. 2. Letter to Dutch organisation De Fabel van de illegaal, Susan George, 21.9.1999. 3. Dolle toestanden in Frankrijk, Kees Stad, 7.9.1999. 4. Letter by e-mail, 2.3.99. 5. The right wing revolt against the modern age, M. Quigley en Chip Berlet. 6. Cross-border organizing, Mark Ritchie. In: The case against the global economy and for a turn towards the local, Jerry Mander en Edward Goldsmith, 1996. 7. Right wing populism. Homepage Public Eye, 11.7.1999. 8. Kritiek op Buchanans kijk op nazi-Duitsland, Bert Lanting. In: De Volkskrant, 25.9.99. 9. Pat Buchanan in his own words, FAIR-report, 26.2.1996. 10. Free trade and foul, Leonard Zeskind. In: Searchlight, oktober 1999. 11. Buchanan dumps on Clinton steel policy, Edward Walsh. In: Washingon Post, 2.3.1999. 12. Gephardt calls for a seat at the table for labor, environmentalists in WTO-talks, Tom Gilroy. In: Washington Post, 13.10.99. 13. Letter by e-mail, Michael Morrill. 13.10.99. 14. Protesters busily practice for WTO meeting in Seattle, David Postman. In: Seattle Times, 10.9.99. 15. Shutting down Seattle, Geov Parrish. In: Seattle Weekly, 19.8.99. 16. Globalization foes plan to protest WTO's Seattle round trade talks, Helene Cooper. In: Wall Street Journal, 16.7.99. 17. Antiglobalization, Doug Henwood. In: Left Business Observer nr. 71, januari 1996. 18. State sovereignty under threat - globalising designs of the WTO, Susan George. In: Le Monde Diplomatique, juli 1999. 19. E-mail by Susan George, 17.9.1999. 20. Miljonair Goldsmith supports the Left and the Extreme Right. Eric Krebbers. Goldsmith and his Gaian hierarchy. Eric Krebbers. Both in: De Fabel van de illegaal nr. 36, september 1999.
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If you are interested in other articles dealing with the Right-wing influences on the Left through the campaigns against the WTO, "globalisation" and "free trade", please check our internetsite (address below).
De Fabel van de illegaal Koppenhinksteeg 2 2312 HX Leiden Netherlands tel: +31-71-5127619 tel: +31-71-5144217 fax: +31-71-5134907 e-mail: lokabaal at dsl.nl
Internetsite of De Fabel van de illegaal: http://www.dsl.nl/media/lokabaal/english
Another interesting site to check: http://www.savanne.ch/right-left.en