Globalisation - An Idea Project, by Ed Whitfield
Looking at the word globalisation it could mean the world becoming more globally orientated, more socially integrated and less nationally orientated. You could imagine this sort of effect rapidly transpiring if aliens were to attack the planet, for example. This is of course quite unlikely but I always like to think that this form of globalisation is inevitable for the human race, that, as our species matures and grows together, we will become more understanding and loving towards one another and our borders will naturally disintegrate as trust increases.
This healthy and natural progression, however, is becoming more unlikely everyday as the current form of globalisation becomes stronger and more definite. The characteristics, I would say, of our current form of globalisation are global economics, the struggle for democracy and all associated wars, the opening of national borders to free trade systems and the tax free flow of the free market and an increase in trans-national corporate power over the fate of people.
Funnily enough there is one country that can be easily associated with all of these elements and that country is the USA. It is the American dollar that is compared upon the global market. It always seems to be their armies stomping around the world imposing their politics. Always their financial institutions opening up foreign borders to the resource sucking, labour force enslaving policies and principals of free trade. And it always seem to be their corporations becoming Multi National Corporations and ensuring that there is always a little taste of America in ever country.
These facts indicate to me that what people call globalization nowadays is nothing more than the world's one remaining superpower sewing the final seeds of its very own global empire. Globalisation! The United Global Empire of America.
How this empire differs from most is that it is far cleverer and less clumsy than that of say the British attempt at taking over the world. There is less violence, on this side of the planet at any rate. Take Ireland for example, our ministers and government leaders aren't so dissimilar to the earls a couple of hundred years ago, the Irish ones that helped the Brits and then had to flee Ireland. They will get their rewards for complying and bowing to the USA and helping them trick the people into doing just the same thing their forefathers fought against: working for peanuts while our real masters become rich. (American and British investors are Irelands top two and saved Ireland from the economic depression of the seventies almost twenty years later!)
I'm not being nationalist here, I'm merely pointing out why I believe that what is happening on a global level is that America is expanding its empire. I also guarantee you that if it ever got to the stage that the US went to war with Europe Ireland, England, Italy and Israel would be with the money (America) on such an eventuality. We would have Mickey Mouse teaching our kids just how evil the French are! Old ghost stories about Germany from WWII would be dragged out to scare all the old Eastern Bloc types soon to join the EU. I bet.
The enemy of this empire is anyone who opposes the exploitative nature of American economics, anyone who may wish to stand against their bastardised version of democracy, anyone who rejects their superimposed, plastic culture, designed solely on distracting the general public in a whirlwind of glitter and shine from the brutish realities of the empire they are in fact full, yet unwitting supporters of. Any voice of opposition may now pose a terrorist threat to the United States of America. So be warned, freedom of speech will not apply to you scum suckers!
The army of this new quest to conquer seems to be you and me, the consumer. The ammo we use is the cash in our hand. Every transaction we make boosts the power of a corporation or / and a liberal, western government. The role constantly being pushed upon us, the one where we exchange human rights for consumer rights, is actually us being drafted into America's latest war. Except most of us don't recognise this and the very few of us that do haven't quite figured out how to cut off the index finger of our right hand, so to speak.
If we are the soldiers how are the wars fought? Well, everyone knows the likes of the IMF and WTO, NAFTA the Trilateral Commission (EU and Japan). These institutions of finance and trade are like the subdivisions of the US Army and how they work is they pressurise poorer countries to comply with all the free trade and free market business I was talking about earlier. And what this compliance entails is that, for loans (or to repay earlier ones), the country must allow American corporations to exploit the cheap labour force they are bound to have, and to allow American corporations hard earned cash to be laundered through the now tax free borders. Thus increasing overall profits and allowing American interest become that of the worlds also. It is not necessarily that power must come through might. Controlling trade and dictating economies seems to be doing this new global empire just fine in most cases.
So, just how do we cut off our fingers? And also why would we want to? To me, the horrors of having to bow to many of what looks like might become new laws under the imposing empire, some of them we can feel already, are too much. It's not the pressure of being solely responsible for your own life and how you survive, without the safety net of a social welfare based government, but the pressure of having to work upon the current economic structure in able to survive is what I deplore. If we live under a government we might as well have the benefits of them paying for education, health and other public services. When I say 'them' I of course mean us- taxes. Otherwise, what's the point?
The authoritarian state all advanced capitalist nations may become under this empire is quite a scary prospect too. After September the 11th the US is half way there with racial profiling and murder justified by patriotism. In Europe the treatment of anti-globalists at protests and the restrictions of civil liberties are all telling signs of what is to come! With harsh immigration laws, allowing refugees only when we need the cheap labour, has earned the EU the nickname 'Fortress Europe'. The beginning of the end perhaps? Time can only tell. Or we could get up off our arses and do something about the ridiculous behaviour of the people who claim to be running the world for us.
But what is it that we can do? Well in cases of civil liberties, or the restrictions of, such as in Galway town (it may soon be illegal to skateboard, busk or gather in crowds of over one hundred), direct action, i.e. direct ignoring of such ridiculous bylaws, is needed before it becomes the norm to comply with such horrendous demands. People need to realise that it is their world and their towns. Their personal space is in jeopardy of becoming someone else's. This trend can only get worse unless people act in complete opposition, not necessarily by skating or busking just because they are not allowed, but to do what ever they want, whenever and wherever they want to, and to stand vigilant and brave in the face of anyone who attempts to force them to do otherwise. Unless of course one thinks that it is essential that the point is made and picks up a skateboard for the first time in their life and grinds the shit out of all those cobbles.
After we achieve strong enough convictions to follow our own wishes and to do what we want we must realise that there are others that need help and this is where we must unite in solidarity and create a global network that refuses outright to bow to American imperialism.
I would describe myself as a communal anarchist. Anarchist because I believe that no person may command the authority of another, and communal because, in a free, anarchic world I would choose to live in a communal way, to find a collection of people to live with, in a small area, helping, building and growing together. Looking out for number one. And two, three, four… I would attempt to create a fully collective effort where shelter would be built together, food grown and prepared and care given, all for free and without reward, for the success of such supportive, free living would be reward in itself. With other local communities we could build trade routes not to conquer but to live even easier and more comfortably. This, of course, is only what I would attempt to create and it is up to the individual to put in action their own beliefs and choice of life. Freedom of choice not consumer choice, I say!
Our civilisation has developed in a way that, without much thought and in an organic structure we have created the institutions and discourse to manage such a large and growing population. We have made many mistakes and I believe that the human race has the intelligence and the ability to take a step back and look a the state of the world and realise that there are better ways to manage the population so that one and all may be happy, and if they aren't, it truly would be up to them to do something about it, exactly how a Thatcherite may think, I admit it is a very liberal / conservative statement / belief, but it is true freedom, no authority and the difference between the two is that there would be no power divide, no economic barrier that may hold people back from achieving their dreams.
And yes, I would gladly exchange the safety the police may offer for a world where individual integrity is not smothered by the fear of stepping out of place, not only with the law, but with the 'norm'.
-- Ed Whitfield, March 2004
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