The 'Alter-Globalists' Hit Their Stride

Immanuel Wallerstein (Agence Global)
Published: February 2, 2007 in the International Herald Tribune

This article is about the possible future fall out of the Anti-Globalization meeting held in Nairobi earlier this month. I have previously discussed it in my blog but felt that this article was an important follow up.

The World Social Forum is a gathering of a wide range of organizations and movements from around the world that define themselves as an opposition to neo-liberal globalization and imperialism in all its forms

In the article the author discusses how at the WSF meeting the participants used the slogan “another world is possible” to define their stance in opposition to their proponents. They have also chosen to call themselves “alter-globalists” instead of the now defunct “anti-globalists.”

The article provides background information on the evolution of the WSF, and how they are translating their beliefs to real political action. The most important thing about the WSF is its ability to create networks. The meeting is “singularly equipped” to construct these networks at a global level. Several of these networks have already been created to tackle issue important to WSF participants such as, women’s rights, labor disputes, rural/agrarian issues, war cessation, alternative sexualities, water rights, the struggle against AIDS, human rights. The cooperation and work that the WSF seems to be spawning will be very important in the next few years.