[bestbits] [governance] Re: NMI and the Brazilian CGI.br
Guru
Guru at ITforChange.net
Sun Nov 30 22:56:25 EST 2014
Grande CA,
You can be sure that not only will Jean-Louis "look at the disastrous
neoliberal policies being practiced in Europe since the 2008 crisis", he
will be unhappy with it. But of course that does not mean he, or many of
us need not be concerned with Brazil's role in the NMI.
The reason why many of us are concerned about Brazil participation in a
space (WEF) that 'belongs' to the business elite of the world, is simply
that many of us consider Brazil a global leader in supporting policies
programmes for social justice, human rights, democracy. As Parminder
mentioned in an earlier post, the WSF, which took birth in Brazil sees
itself (inter alia) as the antidote to the "disastrous neoliberal
policies" that WEF is associated with/promotes. Since you are also
concerned about the dangers of neo-liberalism, the following excerpt may
be useful read:
The *World Social Forum* (WSF, Portuguese
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_language>: /Fórum Social
Mundial/ [ˈfɔɾũ soˈsjaw mũdʒiˈaw]
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Portuguese_and_Galician>) is
an annual meeting of civil society organizations, first held in Brazil
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil>, which offers a self-conscious
effort to develop an alternative future through the championing of
counter-hegemonic globalization
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-hegemonic_globalization>.
Some^/<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Words_to_watch#Unsupported_attributions>/
consider the World Social Forum to be a physical manifestation of global
civil society <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_society>, as it brings
together non governmental organizations
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non_governmental_organizations>, advocacy
campaigns as well as formal and informal social movements
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_movements> seeking international
solidarity <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solidarity>. The World Social
Forum prefers to define itself as "an opened space – plural, diverse,
non-governmental and non-partisan – that stimulates the decentralized
debate, reflection, proposals building, experiences exchange and
alliances among movements and organizations engaged in concrete actions
towards a more solidarity, democratic and fair world....a permanent
space and process to build alternatives to neoliberalism
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoliberalism>."^[1]
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Social_Forum#cite_note-1> ...It
tends to meet in January at the same time as its "great capitalist
rival", the World Economic Forum's
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Economic_Forum> Annual Meeting in
Davos <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davos>, Switzerland
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland>. This date is consciously
picked to promote their alternative answers to world economic problems
in opposition to the World Economic Forum
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Economic_Forum>.
Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Social_Forum
Hope Brazil will really rethink its participation in the NMI.
warm fraternal regards
Guru
On Sunday 30 November 2014 11:48 PM, Carlos Afonso wrote:
> Hi Jean, I am a Brazilian, from São Paulo and living in Rio. No one
> saw "hundreds of thousands" in the streets in June 2013 or any other
> time except in the 80's with the campaign for direct elections for
> president and the 90' with the movement for ethics in politics. Brazil
> has 142 million voters. It takes a lot more than a few hundreds of 1-2
> thousand people in Paulista Avenue to be representative of the will of
> Brazilian people.
>
> Nice to be sitting comfortably somewhere in Europe and doing this kind
> of shallow evaluation of our political process. You should better take
> a look at the disastrous neoliberal policies being practiced in Europe
> since the 2008 crisis.
>
> fraternal regards
>
> --c.a.
>
> On 11/30/14 18:47, Jean-Louis FULLSACK wrote:
>> Dear Carlos
>>
>> Yoiu wote :
>>
>> < there is no one who could say WEF indoctrinated Lula, or that WEF took
>> the reigns
>> of the government of Brazil.
>>
>> You are right : there were hundreds of thousand Brasilians -Indignados
>> and others- in the streets and places to protest about Lula's and
>> Dilma's "softened" policy.
>>
>> BTW, Davos is hosting annually a "policicy softening course of
>> treatment" ...
>>
>> Best regards
>>
>> Jean-louis Fullsack
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> > Message du 23/11/14 00:47
>> > De : "Carlos Afonso" <ca at cafonso.ca>
>> > A : "Suresh Ramasubramanian" <suresh at hserus.net>,
>> "governance at lists.igcaucus.org" <governance at lists.igcaucus.org>,
>> "parminder at itforchange.net" <parminder at itforchange.net>
>> > Copie à : "Hartmut Richard Glaser" <glaser at cgi.br>,
>> "bestbits at lists.bestbits.net" <bestbits at lists.bestbits.net>
>> > Objet : Re: [governance] Re: NMI and the Brazilian CGI.br
>> >
>> > Dear people,
>> >
>> > In January 2003, Lula was just starting his first term as
>> president. As
>> > usual he went to the World Social Forum where he was met with
>> massive
>> > acclamation. I remember crying like a child to experience in loco
>> the
>> > thousands of people cheering Lula.
>> >
>> > From Porto Alegre he went to Davos.(*) Yes, that daunting lair of
>> > corporate devils! A group of militants, NGOs and social
>> movements of
>> > course criticized Lula, along the same lines JNC does today as a
>> sort of
>> > scion of its view of political correctness. But other militants,
>> NGOs
>> > and social movements supported Lula's visit to WEF (I was among
>> them) --
>> > our president had to establish dialogue with all sectors, and
>> there is
>> > no one who could say WEF indoctrinated Lula, or that WEF took the
>> reigns
>> > of the government of Brazil. If anything happened, it would be
>> the other
>> > way around.
>> >
>> > I like to recall this story because it reminds me of the fury of
>> > arguments at the time -- just like we see today the different
>> > (adversarial?) camps of civil society nailing each other.
>> >
>> > fraternal regards
>> >
>> > --c.a.
>> >
>> > (*) See, for example, this report:
>> >
>> http://www.ictsd.org/bridges-news/biores/news/two-world-forums-debate-globalisation
>> >
>> > On 11/22/14 21:30, Suresh Ramasubramanian wrote:
>> > >>
>> > >> I am greatly disappointed that so many friends in the CGI.Br
>> has now come
>> > >> out to vouchsafe or front for what is basically a WEF and
>> ICANN (basically
>> > >> doing US's bidding) game.
>> > >
>> > > Disappointed? My heart bleeds for you, to be sure.
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >> everyone knows WEF to be. Do the Brazilians, who kind of gave
>> the world
>> > >> the World Social Forum, really need to be reminded of the
>> basic lessons
>> > >> with regard to the designs of global domination by a certain
>> economic and
>> > >> political elite, and their impatience with democracy,
>> especially at the
>> > >> global level!
>> > >>
>> > >
>> > > Now you call them naïve. How incredibly patronizing.
>> > >
>> > > Any so called "democracy" of the sort you seem to want, that
>> excludes stakeholders based on any nationality and/or economic
>> backgrounds that you dislike, is emphatically not a democracy, but
>> merely pure demagoguery. Makes me glad that you continue to remain
>> far, far away from the civil society mainstream thinking on this
>> subject.
>> > >
>> > >> Again, you are fast expending the political capital that the
>> Brazilian
>> > >> government and CGI.Br has, something that I find to be such a
>> great loss,
>> > >> and very much hope were not the case. *The global progressive
>> community
>> > >> has consistently supported you, but this support cannot be
>> taken for
>> > >
>> > > I admire how you keep attempting to speak for the global
>> progressive community, in pushing the regressive agenda that you
>> continue to push, and that the majority of the community apparently
>> doesn't share.
>> > >
>> > >> granted, which is my unfortunate duty to tell you, as you
>> come out
>> > >> publicly to seek global support for a WEF centred global
>> governance
>> > >> initiative.*
>> > >>
>> > >
>> > > Your support, and those of the small splinter group of
>> extremists that caucus with you? Well, may the good Lord preserve us
>> all from such support.
>> > >
>> > >> Your statement says that you are willing to dialogue and work
>> together
>> > >> with everyone. Some of us from global progressive civil
>> society offer
>> > >> ourselves for such a dialogue. We have in our hands today the
>> interests
>> > >> and fate of the people of the world, and of the future
>> generations. Let
>> > >
>> > > That sounds more like a royal "We" than any sort of
>> inclusiveness. Do stop trying to speak for civil society at large.
>> You don't and have never represented it all.
>> > >
>> > > --srs
>> > >
>> >
>> > ____________________________________________________________
>> > You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
>> > governance at lists.igcaucus.org
>> > To be removed from the list, visit:
>> > http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing
>> >
>> > For all other list information and functions, see:
>> > http://lists.igcaucus.org/info/governance
>> > To edit your profile and to find the IGC's charter, see:
>> > http://www.igcaucus.org/
>> >
>> > Translate this email: http://translate.google.com/translate_t
>> >
>>
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________
> You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
> bestbits at lists.bestbits.net.
> To unsubscribe or change your settings, visit:
> http://lists.bestbits.net/wws/info/bestbits
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.igcaucus.org/pipermail/bestbits/attachments/20141201/23ca57cf/attachment.htm>
More information about the Bestbits
mailing list