Activism

Seattle redux

by Ben Geman

The bell has sounded in Washington, DC, for the next round in the fight against corporate globalization -- a fight that went big-time with last year's massive protests against the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Seattle.

Activists are converging in the capital this week and next to take on another target: the joint spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. To critics, the IMF, World Bank, and WTO form an unholy trinity pushing a global-trade order that puts corporate profits ahead of workers and the environment.

Protesters will use civil disobedience to try to shut down the meetings on April 16, the climax of a week of forums and demonstrations held under the banner of the coalition Mobilization for Global Justice. These events are already under way and end on April 17 -- at least for the moment. But what happens in coming days could prove that the movement for a fair-trade order will be with us for a while.

Ben Geman will be covering the IMF protests from Washington, DC, for next week's issue. Look for a Web-only dispatch this Friday, April 14.