Why NoGlobal Movement Disappeared?

During the Seattle Ministerial Conference in 1999 a global social movement appeared. The groups that took part of this Movement where very different from development NGOS to Unions and other civil society organizations. It was the so-called No-Global Movement.

Less than a decade after Seattle NoGlobals basically disappeared. Of course, they continue to organize their World Social Forum but people participating to this event as well as demonstrating against major multilateral events as WTO ministerial meetings, G8, etc. are always less visible.

What happen? How a very big enthusiastic movement die out?

In my opinion, there are four important reasons:

1. People where demoralized because changes in the world global order are too slow. What is more, they proposed very different pattern of change among NoGlobal organizations. Many of their propositions where very far from reality. Because they were out of reach propositions, people lost faith when they did not succeed to bring these propositions in the international arena.
2. The international community accepted part of the NoGlobal claims and (partially) implemented them. For example: 1) The United Nations launched the Millennium Development Goals, 2) The International Financial Institutions (IMF and World Bank) start to implement initiatives to reduce the poorest developing countries debt and 3) The World Trade Organization dedicated its current Round to development (but only in its discourse).
3. This movement contained too different organizations that after 2001 they chose different ways. Many Union turned to be protectionist and asked for more trade barriers. Development NGOs ask for more trade opportunities for developing countries. Environmental NGOs warned against problems linked to emerging countries development. These divide become too important to allow a joint advocacy by these organizations.
4. 9/11 and the war against terrorism decreased world attention on the regulation of the world economy.

If you have other ideas on this abrupt end of this movement, share your ideas on this blog.

I am very disappointed with this disappearance not because I shared all the NoGlobal ideas but because they played an important role to push government, mainly from industrialized countries, to change their policies that arm developing countries. They contribute to change (at least for a period) perceptions of stakeholders and to improve their sensitiveness on sustainable development issues.

noglobal