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Does economic globalization promote democracy or consolidate dictatorship? by David Dubois |
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Tania Bruguera: The problem with democracy and dictatorship is that a concept of dictatorship has developped that is mainly related with a socialist field and has a completely totalitarian structure of government, but in reality globalization has created another kind of dictatorship, that is the capitalist dictatorship and the economic dictatorship. It´s a kind of dictatorship which maybe has...; it has created in a very organic way in the sense of that it has even projected on others, like every dictatorship has some principals [inaudible] of others; of structures which do not reflect it as dictatorship. But it´s a dictatorship which is very...; it´s a dictatorship in the sense that it is dictating what are the [inaudible]. It´s interesting that...; for me functions [inaudible] it´s a transfer in the style of a bit of psycology in which [inaudible] you can see in which way some persons and a dictator in specific has transferred to an idea and it´s a bit something that goes beyond [inaudible] which has personalized more in the sense of that the things are no longer on the individual level but on the level of ideas. Although [inaudible] there are of course some things which are...; some people, some persons who materialize these ideas. At any rate I think that, I say if it is seen from this point, if we are [inaudible] dictatorships which already exist which are [inaudible] political, then this would be diferent. |
Tavis Smiley: Does economic globalization promote democracy or consolidate dictatorship? Economic globalization does little good in terms of promoting democracy. I tend to think that it does in fact consolidate dictatorship. We end up with massive unemployment. We end up with insecure markets. We end up with a variety of forces that are worse, more so than for good. Economic globalization and democracy are incongruent. That is to say that economic globalization and democracy don’t mix well, like oil and water. And so it does in fact consolidate dictatorship more than it promotes democracy. by Tavis Smiley |
Currently video only.
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by Tegla Loroupe | 0 votes | 
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Tegla Loroupe: Answertext will be available soon. |
Thenmozhi Soundararajan: I think every time that I hear economic globalization, that to me doesn’t actually sound like a phrase that I know of what’s operating in our current political times. What I see is corporate globalization, and under corporate globalization in no way do I see the development or the promotion of democracy within that. I think one of the things that’s kind of the hallmarks of corporate globalization is that we see more and more multilateral institutions, like the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization, create agreements that actually remove power from the nation-state where we as citizens have the ability to be able to engage and hold corporations accountable to a process where corporations have basically no accountability whatsoever. And even within a nation-state, like say from within the United States, when you look at corporate accountability you can see how much corporate money subverts democracy by looking at the amount of money that goes into elections. So like with the Unites States, the U.S. Top 200 corporations donated per in the 2000 elections over $33 million in the candidate that they wanted to lobby and win and that they outspent labor unions 15:1. But even within that context, when you look at like the lack of government and corporate control by governments, if we actually had a real democracy that wasn’t supported by corporate interests, we’d be able to know a lot of things about corporations, and we know very little. But some level of corporate accountability would include a breakdown of their employees by country, the level of toxic emissions that they have at overseas plants, locations of overseas plants or contractors so at least there could be some sort of public oversight, what are the wage rates and the layoffs and the reasons of layoff. Those are just some even clear checks and balances we could have around corporations that we don’t have. I think that’s one of the critical ways that we see corporations subverting democracy, and I think that’s inevitable under the current state of corporate globalization. There is, however, an alternative of a people-led grass root resistance to that globalization and there’s that globalization of resistance. I think one of the things that’s critical that people are asking for is more accountability and a greater sense of oversight over corporations. I think that’s one powerful step that we can make to relieve ourselves of the brand hegemony. |
Tu Weiming: Democracy is embodiment of some basic value of human flourishing. In some sense, democracy is neutral. It can be powerfully manipulated by strong governments, by corporations. It’s a leveling process. Sometimes, democracy reflects the general will of the people. Economical globalization is not simply a process of homogenization. It differentiates the world in such a way some countries become so powerful and influential not only towards the rest of the world but even towards their own citizenship. The inventionist- interventionist, the particularly concern of the specific government to overcome the various kinds of initiatives of the people indicates that globalization especially in terms of enhancement of power and influence has in a way strengthened the mechanism of control of the various governments. In that sense, globalization undermines the total participation of the people. The idea of democracy is based upon public reasoning. When public reasoning is manipulated by the market, by the various forces generated by global economy especially economic fundamentalism then the strength of democracy is totally undermined. To be sure on the other side that globalization enhances the participation of an increasing number of people, the world economic forum believes that it’s possible to develop a democracy through the mechanism of globalization. But that’s an optimism which is sometimes difficult to sustain. by Tu Weiming |
Udi Aloni: I think it's very important to think that who is democracy? What is democracy? The idea put democracy -- I can't do that. I need something to put in my ear. I can't do that. It doesn't work? -- Alright, I'll try again. I think that democracy and dictatorship are not really in opposite to each other. It depends on what we call democracy. But whatever we call democracy today, of course it's part of the capitalist and global economies. And they collaborate with the dictatorship. The question itself give us a feeling like there is a fight between the dictatorship and the democracy. Now I have something to put in my ear and I will be able to concentrate on the answers. Because I took it from Berlin, Alexander Pratt because there is so much noise coming from everywhere. Each one is extremely smart, but all together it's big noise for me. So try again, I really want to put the democracy and dictatorship in our world are not opposite things. The democracy regime as such, as we dream about cannot be involved with the colonialist economy. by Udi Aloni |
Valentina Melnikova: The phenomenon of globalization in itself is neither good nor bad. Everything depends on how much every country would contribute to universal problems of humanity. Our today’s meeting is the product of globalization too, and I think this is a right event. Every global economical or political event could promote democracy as well as hinder it if the most important thing won't be respected, namely human rights. Unfortunately, nowadays the phenomenon of globalization provokes some population groups to an aversion which finds its expression even in violent as sabotage of the intergovernmental organisations or other international projects. A lot depends on how much prepared every state is to use the positive aspects of globalization. There is no doubt that the new communication systems as internet, television and high-speed transportations are also phenomenons of globalization. Association of corporations is a further phenomenon of globalization. Some states or nations have already learned how to benefit from globalization, but the Third World can’t do this yet. |
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Currently video only.
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by Vesna Pesic | 0 votes |
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Vesna Pesic: Answertext will be available soon. by Vesna Pesic |
Viviana Figueroa: Well I think that the economic globalization promotes or consolidates dictatorship. This depends a lot on the countries. I think it’s true that the economic globalization [obtaining today the…] presents an economic concentration in certain countries and including certain ideas. There has always been globalization, but actually there should be a globalization which must promote democracy. In one sense we can say that this is possible when there is promotion by internet. For example, when the governments [organize….] the marriages, when we consider the different autorities – in this sense they promote participation, information of the government. So this is possible today like in a framework of globalization. I suppose that if globalization promoted something, this would be democracy in that sense; but it depends concretely on each country and on each case. I can’t say so concretely what do dictatorships actually promote or consolidate. This depends on each situation and on each circumstance. I think that today economic globalization is a question without any limits. It’s a question in which each country has to give an opinion on. So any country can’t abstain from or say that it doesn’t feel affected by the economic globalization. This is the reality of what the measure is presented in globalization. For example one of the caracteristics is its difusing by the mass medias of communication, of information. This can be an enormous reality to promote democracy. |
Wim Wenders: I think that question has not been decided yet so to speak. Economic globalization could still have both effects. It can still potentially increase democracy or in some cases initiate it, start it. It is also easy to see how the economics of globalization can or could encourage dictatorships. By taking away self-responsibility and self-efficiency, by emptying local power of any relevance, they could hollow the belief in democracy on self-control. Sure, so that dictators might have an easy game again. But I am not sure this bleak vision will happen. I firmly believe that mankind has a learning capacity and the ability to determine the course of the history. It would certainly need a big push for people to take over the responsibility for this planet again and we need to different thinking than the one that governed the past. If people would start thinking globally not just corporation, the world would change for the better very quickly. Corporations, big industries, brands, the money market they all think globally for long term already. But we the people, still think nationally most of the time. Our governments and our societies encourage us to remain in those old categories. They do everything to promote local thinking. Why? They only have power at home, I guess, not abroad or maybe they don’t want people to interfere with the way they handle their international and global interest. Because you can make a lot of profit from globalization or it could cost you whole lot money. Because of course, the real global interests are often the pain in the neck. It isn’t good business to be partly responsible for global warming. You want to trade to warm up, you want your trade to warm up not the polarize. So to sum it up, we the people need to start acting and thinking globally because government and industry do it already but not necessarily in the way we would want them to. by Wim Wenders |
Yassin Adnan: Economic globalization is actually a democracy. It's a democracy of the big companies, which lay attention on the availability of there products all over the world and as a result of that the people of the world, from the poorest children in villages of Africa till the richest people in the American cities are even in front of e.g. coca cola as a product. So it's a trapping democracy, a democracy we should be aware of, as at the end it eliminates the difference, the difference of tastes. When Mac Donald’s becomes for example a meal, you can have eat any place of the world, then in that there is also a kind of dictatorship, as it prevents the right, that the local meals become special with its special kitchen and own restaurants in its own cities. I live in city Marrakech which is famous with its square (Sahat Jama’ Alfana'a), and with its restaurant that are nights over open for the visitors. Imagine if Mac Donald’s for example invades that space, and because of that democracy, becomes a part of it. I think it will kill the specialty of the square, and the specialty of that special open air kitchen. It’s true that we are consumers, and wish to obtain the best products, but it’s also important that we protect interest of specialty and protect the local production which provides job chances to the people, when the big companies attack. by Yassin Adnan |
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by Yungchen Lhamo | 0 votes |
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