Global Peoples' Power vs. Corporate Globalization and the Project of the New American Century
As we enter the 21st century, we encounter a polarized world. The gap between rich and poor is widening, both within and among nations. Impoverishment and malnutrition are increasing, and so are astronomical levels of wealth within small elite sectors of national populations, especially in the more industrialized nations.
During the past century there has been rapid growth and proliferation of multinational corporations. The executives of these corporations are expected to make their decisions on economic factors guided by the profit motive, not by the needs of consumers or communities. Research indicates that these multinational corporations and their executives tend to make decisions that enrich their personal fortunes and preserve their controlling interests, that are often detrimental to the health of human communities and that undermine the health of the natural environment, source of raw materials used in industrial and technological production of commodities that sustain life.
Corporate and financial institutions are now destroying many primary resources that support the development and survival of human society. Wars over control and allocation of resources are more and more lethal, with further development of weapons of mass destruction. The nation that has most aggressively pursued the use of force to achieve security is the United States of America. International financial institutions, like the World Bank (WB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF)and the World Trade Organization (WTO) are also involved in setting goals and agendas for global economic competition that rewards aggressive winners and condemns many to death, as losers.
Global coalitions of Non-Governmental Organizations(NGOs) and the leaders of developing nations are now challenging those goals and agendas. This presentation will address these conflicts, and the role of social work in helping the global community to find and to proceed on a pathway to sustainable human development and the preservation of a life-supporting planet.