One of the major characteristics of the culture of capitalism is perpetual change. Sometimes the change is so rapid that even sophisticated intelligence agencies have problems keeping up with it; a revolution in Iran, the collapse of economies in Asia, the testing of nuclear devices in India and Pakistan can rapidly change global dynamics. Consequently it is difficult for any article, book, or other form of representation to capture the present state of global dynamics.

The purpose of the Global Update page is to report on new developments, and provide access to information about them. We will also, when relevant, link the events to topics covered in Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism.

For daily updates of news around the world, check out UN Wire.  It provides a summary of news with links to the original sources.

The Battle in Seattle
12/2/99 

The protest against the WTO made headlines all over the world.  We've included below a list of sites and articles, along with the commentary and description from The Scout Report for Economics and Business (click here).  You can find additional sites below in the story "Protest Against Corporate Globalization."

Protest Against Corporate Globalization
11/4/1999

The World Trade Organization is holding its next ministerial meeting in Seattle, Washington the week of November 29, 1999.  The event is drawing thousands of protesters to lobby against the organization's power to force countries to change, reject, or prevent the passage of laws and regulations regarding the environment, labor rights, or human rights that the WTO deems to "unfairly restrict international trade."  For many, the WTO is simply a vehicle for multi- and trans-national corporations to reduce their costs and increase their profits at the expense of people's quality of life.  You can find out more about the WTO and the protest at either the Seattle WTO Website, or Seattle WTO.

East Timor Vote on Independence Followed by Violence & Genocide
9/19/1999

In  1975 the Indonesian military invaded and occupied the island of East Timor.   One consequence has been the death of over 200,000 East Timorese and a growing independence movement.  Reacting in part to foreign pressure, the Indonesian government has allowed the people of East Timor to vote on whether to remain part of Indonesia with greater autonomy, or to be independent.  You can find background information and commentary about the history and the referendum at the Mother Jones Web Site.

The vote for independence was overwhelming (over 75%), but Indonesion-supported militia have gone on a killing rampage.  For updates on the violence check AISNET (Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor).

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT: Globalization Leaving Poor Behind
(Report from UNWire)
7/14/99

 Economic globalization has polarized the world, with the richest fifth of humanity enjoying more than 85% of total gross domestic product and the poorest fifth only 1%, according to the UN Development Program's 1999 Human Development Report (Jerome Hule, Panafrican News Agency, 12 Jul).
     "Global inequalities in income and living standards have reached 'grotesque' proportions," the report says, and the gap is widening. Thirty years ago, the income ratio of the richest to the poorest countries was 30 to 1. By 1990, the ratio had reached 60 to 1, and now it stands at 74 to 1 (Denny/Brittain, London Guardian, 12 Jul).
     In another illustrative fact, the report says the three richest people in the world -- Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Paul Allen -- have total assets of $156 billion -- greater than the combined GDP of the 43 least developed countries, home to 600 million people (London Independent, 12 Jul).

The Dismanting of Yugoslavia
4/4/99

In spite of the vast media coverage of the war in Kosovo, virtually no major news source has exposed the economic dismantling of Yugoslavia that created the conditions (as did the Versailles Treaty after WW I in Germany) that permitted the emergence of a Milosevic or a Tudjman.  In fact, the economic collapse of Yugoslavia prior to the Bosnia and Kosovo wars parallel the economic collapse of Rwanda that created the condition for that genocide (see Chaper 9 in Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism).  An excellent analysis, however, is provided my Michel Chossudovsky in his article, Dismantling Former Yugoslavia, Recolonising Bosnia.    You can find additional resources on the Kosovo conflict here.   And Workers World has an extensive list of materials on the crisis in the Balkans.

Chevron Accused of Aiding Nigerian Government in Raids on Protesters
2/24/99

A Human Rights Watch Report claims that a Chevron Oil Corporation helicopter and gunship were used in a raid on two communities in the Niger delta that resulted in at least four deaths.   The Report suggests that oil companies are using their resources to help the government subdue protest over the environmental damage being done by oil drilling operations.  In 1995 there was an international outcry over the execution by the Nigerian government of Ogoni activist Ken Saro Wira, and the alleged involvement of Shell Oil Company in supplying arms to the military government.  One U.S. Congressman has called for a congressional investigation of the charges.  You can get additional information at Project Censored.

The Politics of Cancer
2/8/99

Is it possible that politics and corporate interests play a role in the dramatic rise of cancer rates in the past 50 years?   That is the issue explored by Dr. Samuel Epstein in his book, The Politics of Cancer Revisted reviewed at Focus on the Corporation.   Epstein claims that rather than focusing on prevention and the removal of carcinogenic agents dumpted by corporations into the environment, the cancer research establishment concentrates on finding a magic cure.

Reports on State Violence
(1/13/99)

In the past three months, two reports have been released that document the terror and violence that nation-states unleashed on their citizens. The first was the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee that documented the violence committed by the apartheid state of South Africa against its own citizens.  The report, released on Oct. 30, 1998, consists of six volumes, the first including the history and mandate of the committee established to uncover the crimes committed by members of the apartheid regime.  The second report was released on January 14, 1999. It is the report from the American Association for the Advancement of Science entitled State Violence in Guatemala, 1960-1996: A Quantitative Reflection. It documents the killing and disappearance of over 37,000 people at the hands of government forces. It is noteworthy that the violence in Guatemala began shortly after the American CIAs orchestrated overthrow of the elected government in 1954. Both are remarkable documents. For additional material on state killing and genocide check out Internet Resources on Genocide and Mass Killings .

No Justice in Chiapas (12/20/98)

In Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism, we discuss the  peasant revolution in the Mexican state of Chiapas, and mention the December 22, 1997 massacre of  45 men, women, and children by paramilitary forces armed by local political leaders.  One year after the killings, says Amnesty International, the Mexican authorities are still dragging their feet with the investigation.  Check out the AA news release.  For other recent news on the situation in Chiapas, see the Zapatista Army of Liberation site.

Global Prospects 2000
12/9/99

The World Bank report Global Prospects 2000 reviews the long-term effects of the global financial crisis of 1997, concluding that, while economic growth will proceed, "The crisis has led to a significant rise in income poverty and has engendered costly, large reallocations of people and sharp declines in middle-class standards of living. The crisis also reduced real public expenditures on education and health, with some countries experiencing significant declines in poor households’ access to both health and education services."

The Prison Industrial Complex
11/8/1999

In Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism we discuss labor abuse in terms of the segmentation of labor into good jobs and bad jobs.  That is, as long as certain industries (including textiles, electronics, and fast food) require cheap labor, somebody is going to have to do it.   In the past low-paying jobs were the domain of women, children, and minorities.   More recently, corporations have moved their operations to peripheral countries in search of cheap labor, generally young women.  But more recently, American corporations have found a new domestic source of cheap labor--prisoners.  There are over 1.7 million people incarcerated in American prisons, more than in any other industrialized nation.  At Corporate Watch you can find out how prisons are now playing a major role in generating profit, and how the clothes you wear may have been made by "slave" labor right here at home.  For a fuller treatment of the issue, check out The Prison-Industrial Complex and the Global Economy by Eve Goldberg and Linda Evans.

AIDS Greatest cause of Child Death
10/27/1999

AIDS is now the leading cause of death for children around the world. 14 million women of childbearing age worldwide are infected with HIV, and infant mortality is rising in many countries due to HIV infection. "Last year, 700,000 children were born HIV-positive and there will be more in the future. About 34% of these babies will die in the first year and 66% will die by the third year." (click here for more)

India, Politics by Other Means: Attacks Against Christians in India
9/22/1999

"This Human Rights Watch study examines a recent upsurge in inter-religious violence directed at Christians in India, largely by right-wing Hindu organizations, collectively known as the sangh parivar. According to Human Rights Watch, such actions are designed "to promote and exploit communal tensions to stay in power," a strategy "supported at the local level by militant groups who operate with impunity." The report provides a cultural and political context for the violence, reports on the violence itself and its areas of concentration, recommendations to the government of India as well as to the international community, and a discussion of relevant international law. " (Scout Report for the Social Sciences, 10/19/1999)

What Constitutes Political Sovereignty?
9/30/99

What can or should countries do when another nation-state is guilty of human rights violations?  Historically, as we point out in Global Problems and the Nature of Capitalism, there has been a "gentlemen's agreement" among nation-states that what happens within the borders of one country is the business of that country only.  But in the wake of Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, and East Timor, national leaders are questioning that assumption.  In a speech, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan suggest that the UN has the right to intervene in countries with massive human rights violations.  The speech unleashed a wave of commentary that you can examine here.

World's Natural Wealth declines by 30%
9/17/99

The World Wildlife Federation issued its second Living Planet Report noting that its Living Planet Index (LPI), an indicator of the overall state of the Earth's natural ecosystems, has declined by 30% from 1970 to 1995,  implying that the world has lost 30 per cent of its natural wealth in the space of one generation. 

A Critique of the Grameen Bank
(8/25/99)

The Grameen Bank has often been praised as one way that the poor, particularly women, can find their way out of poverty.   The philosophy of the bank is to extend credit to people who ordinarily would not be eligible for loans.  These loans may be used for building or expanding small businesses or to build or improve homes.  The Bank claims to have enabled thousands to escape poverty (see the discussion in Chapter 6 of Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism).  However there are critics.  This article in Al-Ahram, Banking for the Poor, accuses the Bank of charging excessive interest and taking advantage of women.

Golden Leash Awards
4/23/99

In Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism we discuss the ways in which corporations influence public policy and government legislation.  One of the most important, of course, is through financial contributions to political office holders.  Public Campaign highlights the problem and suggests ways that the financial power of corporations can be curbed.  Particularly interesting is their Golden Leash Awards, given to congressional legislators whose actions are tied closely to those from whom they receive money.

UN Warned of Rwandan Genocide
(3/31/99)

A report from Human Rights Watch reports that the United Nations, Belgium, the United States and France ignored warnings of the massacre the Hutu-dominated government was preparing against Tutsi and Hutu dissidents.  The massacre was not, as reported in the press, the result of "tribal hatreds," but a planned campaign of a Hutu elite to stay in power, much the same conclusion as the one in Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism.  For more information, check on a description of the report at Human Rights Watch.

 The Banana Wars
3/5/99

How can a Scottish weaver of cashmire sweaters lose his or her job because Dole and Chiquita want to sell more bananas?  Welcome to the global economy.  Because European nations give favored trade status to Caribbean countries (most of which were once colonies), the United States has threatened to impose 100% tariffs on European luxury goods (such as cashmire), unless Europe allows more Latin American bananas (nee Chiquita and Dole) into their countries.   It may help that both Chiquita and Dole are heavy contributors to the political campaigns of both Democrats and Republicans.  You can find more information at External Relations and the Caribbean Banana Growers Association.  You can get the US view in PDF format at the United States Trade Representative.

Controversy over Rigoberta Menchu's Autobiography
2/20/99

A recent book by anthropologist David Stoll raises questions about the accuracy of events reported by Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu in her autobiography I, Rigoberta Menchu (1984).   Menchu's book details the horrors suffered by indigenous peoples of Guatemala at the hands of the Guatamalan military and government.  Based on interviews with relatives, Stoll claims that Menchu fictionalized accounts of torture, lied abut watching a brother being burned to death by Guatamalan soldiers (an account included in Chapter 9 of Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism), and lied about the nature of her father's death and the conflict he had with local authorities.  While acknowledging that she included the accounts of others in her work, Menchu and her  defenders claim that the work was intended as a collective biography  and that her work stands "as vital testimony to the collective history of thousands of Guatemalan Indians over the last 20 years."

The 10 Worst Corporations
(1/29/99)

Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman report on the 10 worst corporations of 1998.  they also discuss in passing other corporate scofflaws.   You can find out more about the deeds and misdeeds of corporations at our corporate resource page.

The Virtues of Free Trade?: NAFTA at 5
(1/18/99)

The easy movement of goods and money from country to country, according to free trade advocates, is supposed to benefit everyone.   That was one of the assumptions behind GATT (the Global Agreement on Tariffs and Trade), and the establishment of the WTO (World Trade Organization), and various side agreements among countries, such as NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement).    But critics says that such agreements do more harm than good.  This report from Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, entitled "School of Real Life-Results," gives NAFTA a failing grade on virtually all the areas for which it was supposed to supply benefits.  The report concludes that "NAFTA's proponents promised benefits for the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The promises ­ 200,000 new U.S. jobs from NAFTA per year, higher wages in Mexico and a growing U.S. trade surplus with Mexico, environmental clean-up and improved health along the border ­ have all failed to materialize. However, as this report illustrates, after five years, NAFTA fails to pass the most conservative test of all: a simple do-no-harm test. Under NAFTA, conditions have deteriorated in many areas in which gains were promised. In each subject NAFTA's grade is a failing one...".