Philip Wiley

Anti-Globalization: The Pencil of the World

Jihad vs. McWorld, good vs. bad, connection vs. separation, republican vs. democrat, conservative vs. liberal. Our world is built on divisions, and all of these rifts make our world seem black and white where an individual is either one thing or the other. Bakers McWorld shares many similarities with neoliberalist globalization. Both are trying to heal these long lasting cracks in our society and unite us through a global economy. However, they are doing so at the high cost of individuality and democracy. Jihad, on the other hand, preserves individuality by breaking the world into smaller and smaller pieces, eliminating both democracy and peace. These forces are two of the largest blacks and whites of our world, but, as with all categories, a grey area exists in between these two extremes. This grey area movement is anti-globalization. This group consists of organizations that support neither separatist nor Neoliberalist ideals, but are simply trying to refine a broken system in a democratic manner; much like how a student would use a pencil to refine an essay or drawing. Anti-Globalization is this pencil, and it is providing one of the few, fair, democratic solutions in a modern world that pits separation against neoliberalism. Similar to how a pencil is made of different parts, (metal, eraser, wood, and graphite); the Antiglobalization movement is also made up of many sub-groups. One such group is ATTAC (Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions for the Aid of Citizens), a European based anti-globalization organization. In ATTACs own words, their goals are to fight for the socialization of the banking sector so that the banks investment policies will be governed by social and ecological imperatives and not by short-term profits and ways of solving conflicts peacefully (The international campaigns of the Attac network). Anti-globalization is not completely against globalization, but is simply opposed to some of its neoliberalist ideals. Neo-liberalism is not evil in essence. At one time it allowed for nations to become extremely wealthy with few downsides. It was simply free, deregulated trade. It was based on this ideal, and the ideas that government spending is wasteful and that individual responsibility should replace public and community goods (WHO). Over time, however, these ideals shifted, allowing for todays large corporations to gain too much power; now no government rules can regulate them. Even in democratic counties, like the USA, the current worldwide markets have even managed to make democratically approved boycotts illegal on a statewide scale. Even without these infringements on our rights, neoliberalism is a poor option. It allows companies to have very little accountability for their actions, while enriching the already wealthy. It allows companies to continually pay their workers at the assembly line below the legal minimum forcing the underprivileged even deeper into poverty (Collins).

Philip Wiley It allows for illegal tax havens which individuals use to illegally avoid their countries taxes, forcing governments and countries even deeper into debt. In 2008, one such lair was exposed. This tax haven, based in Lichtenstein, was uncovered when an ex-employee of a bank sold information to the German government; information that led to the disclosure that over 1000 German citizens had illegal bank accounts in Lichtenstein. In response to this revelation, ATTAC and the Tax Justice Network initiated the, ATTAC Action Plan to Close Down Tax Havens, a petition that amassed over nine thousand signatures. ATTAC also protested in Lichtenstein. According to the Global Nonviolent Action Database, Approximately 30 ATTAC members participated. Some demonstrators dressed as tax-robber barons and wealthy tax evaders and then pretended to live on inflatable island swimming props, which represented the tax havens. The other demonstrators held signs and shouted in German, Tax havens dry out! (Global). These types of situations are where anti-globalizations eraser end comes into the picture. As a tool of refinement, it is the job of organizations like ATTAC to remove the rough edges of neoliberalism and preserve what is already smooth. Their actions brought media attention, which caused other countries to pressure Lichtenstein into reform. The work of anti-globalizationists refines globalization by erasing these and other unfair enterprises. ATTAC uses nonviolence and peaceful protests to draw people and governments towards their ideals and in its campaigns against neo-liberalism. The largest of these operations, For a Europe-wide coordinated levy on wealth, is an attempt to solve Europes current economic crisis (The international campaigns of the Attac network). This policy is where the point of the anti-globalization pencil comes into play. It is now antiglobalizations job to propose a more rounded, smoother solution and draw this in where the rough edges were erased. ATTACs solution recognizes that a small minority of people possesses t he majority of wealth, and ATTACs plan would have governments take 20% to 80% of the wealth of the millionaires, billionaires, and multibillionaires of Europe in order to pull the countries of Europe out from the crushing economic crisis. The plan also would initiate a one million euro limit on private wealth and a two million euro limit on operating assets. If this idea could be introduced, then it would eradicate nearly seven tenths of Europes debt (The international campaigns of the Attac network). However, this plan would only work if all of Europes nations could democratically agree to it. While this idea would cost rich individuals large portions of their funds, it would still leave them with hundreds of thousands of dollars and more than able to care for themselves and their families, though in a less exuberant lifestyle. Anti-globalization is trying to re-draw the world into a fairer, better, and more democratic place. Help them; help the world. The pencil is mightier than the sword.

Philip Wiley Word count: 941 Works cited 1. Global Nonviolent Action Database. European ATTAC campaign against tax havens in Liechtenstein, 2008 | Global Nonviolent Action Database. Global Nonviolent Action Database, Feb. 2008. Web. 5 Feb. 2014. http://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/european-attac-campaign-against-tax-havensliechtenstein-2008 2. The international campaigns of the Attac network. ATTAC, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014. http://www.attac.org/en/international-campaigns-attac-network.

3. WHO | Neo-Liberal Ideas. World Health Organization, 2014. Web. 3 Feb. 2014. http://www.who.int/trade/glossary/story067/en/. 4. Collins, Mike. The Pros and Cons of Globalization. Manufacturing.net, 28 June 2010. Web. 4 Feb. 2014. http://www.manufacturing.net/articles/2010/06/the-pros-and-cons-ofglobalization.