Re: Re: Walden Bello on dismantling corporations an
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 18:34:03 -0800 From: Peter Dorman [EMAIL PROTECTED] I appreciate the spirit behind Bello's piece (as exerpted here), but, stripped to its elements, it strikes me as much too reformist. It hearkens back to the pre-1982 dispensation as a sort-of golden age, and it presents as its agenda all those progressive things that governments were supposed to do back then but generally didn't or at least not very well. Its call to dismantle the TNC seems to be hedged by support for nationally-based private corporations that are supposedly more responsive, and it seeks no discernable management over the global trading system. Comrade Peter, would this perhaps have something to do with the balance of forces? You want Zoellick/Barchefsky or O'Neill/Summers to manage int'l trade/finance more than they do now? That's the implication of continuing to promote the world-state-building project, I fear. Or, as you've pointed out so eloquently, even where eco-regulation is vital at the global scale, we get Kyoto emissions trading that just makes matters worse...
Re: Re: Re: Walden Bello on dismantling corporations an
Patrick, Actually, as of right now, we have nothing, not emissions trading, not anything else. Just uncoordinated domestic programs in some countries. Wowie zowie. Barkley Rosser -Original Message- From: Patrick Bond [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Tuesday, February 27, 2001 7:10 AM Subject: [PEN-L:8471] Re: Re: Walden Bello on dismantling corporations an Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 18:34:03 -0800 From: Peter Dorman [EMAIL PROTECTED] I appreciate the spirit behind Bello's piece (as exerpted here), but, stripped to its elements, it strikes me as much too reformist. It hearkens back to the pre-1982 dispensation as a sort-of golden age, and it presents as its agenda all those progressive things that governments were supposed to do back then but generally didn't or at least not very well. Its call to dismantle the TNC seems to be hedged by support for nationally-based private corporations that are supposedly more responsive, and it seeks no discernable management over the global trading system. Comrade Peter, would this perhaps have something to do with the balance of forces? You want Zoellick/Barchefsky or O'Neill/Summers to manage int'l trade/finance more than they do now? That's the implication of continuing to promote the world-state-building project, I fear. Or, as you've pointed out so eloquently, even where eco-regulation is vital at the global scale, we get Kyoto emissions trading that just makes matters worse...
Re: Walden Bello on dismantling corporations and their proxies
I appreciate the spirit behind Bello's piece (as exerpted here), but, stripped to its elements, it strikes me as much too reformist. It hearkens back to the pre-1982 dispensation as a sort-of golden age, and it presents as its agenda all those progressive things that governments were supposed to do back then but generally didn't or at least not very well. Its call to dismantle the TNC seems to be hedged by support for nationally-based private corporations that are supposedly more responsive, and it seeks no discernable management over the global trading system. Me, I would begin talking about concrete steps to socialize (which is not necessarily to put under public ownership) corporations national and transnational, and to craft a set of rules and governing procedures to make possible trade without the lash of global competitiveness that has poisoned every national political economy. The coalitions to do these things would be international and horizontal (class and social interest based), not (as apparently with Bello) national and vertical. Peter Lisa Ian Murray wrote: http://www.policyalternatives.ca/ Should corporate-led institutions be reformed or disempowered? It's not off the wall to think of dismantling corporations [Part II of The most crucial task facing the world's NGOs] by Waldon Bello The CCPA Monitor, February 2001, pp 14-16
Re: Walden Bello on dismantling corporations and their proxies
Me, I would begin talking about concrete steps to socialize (which is not necessarily to put under public ownership) corporations national and transnational, and to craft a set of rules and governing procedures to make possible trade without the lash of global competitiveness that has poisoned every national political economy. The coalitions to do these things would be international and horizontal (class and social interest based), not (as apparently with Bello) national and vertical. Peter All that without abolishing M-C-M'? Yoshie
Re: Re: Walden Bello on dismantling corporations and their proxies
Marxists would be free to study and write about M-C-M'. Peter Yoshie Furuhashi wrote: All that without abolishing M-C-M'? Yoshie
Re: Walden Bello on dismantling corporations and their proxies
Marxists would be free to study and write about M-C-M'. Peter Seriously, Peter, you criticize Bello for being "much too reformist," but your program -- "to socialize (which is not necessarily to put under public ownership) corporations national and transnational, and to craft a set of rules and governing procedures to make possible trade without the lash of global competitiveness that has poisoned every national political economy" -- looks to me to be _also_ much too reformist utopian to boot. :) Not that you can't criticize Bello for being "much too reformist," but if that's your criticism, your reader naturally expects more than what you offered. Yoshie
RE: Re: Walden Bello on dismantling corporations and their proxies
Marxists would be free to study and write about M-C-M'. Peter Seriously, Peter, you criticize Bello for being "much too reformist," but your program -- "to socialize (which is not necessarily to put under public ownership) corporations national and transnational, and to craft a set of rules and governing procedures to make possible trade without the lash of global competitiveness that has poisoned every national political economy" -- looks to me to be _also_ much too reformist utopian to boot. :) Not that you can't criticize Bello for being "much too reformist," but if that's your criticism, your reader naturally expects more than what you offered. Yoshie ** So what's your meta-reformist plan to get us beyond M-C-M' Yoshie? How would you reconfigure the institutions of the technosphere so they're a little more biosphere friendly while becoming humane work places free of racism, sexism and all other forms of domination? "The long term goal should be to reduce the financial and governance role of the stock market with an eye towards an eventual elimination. Corporations should be placed increasingly under a combination of worker, community, customer, supplier, and public control. Of course, it's easy to say that in a sentence or two, but the actual task, technically and politically, would be difficult as hell." [DH] Ian
Re: Re: Walden Bello on dismantling corporations and their proxies
Fair enough, but I have more humor at the moment than time. The funny thing is that I've been studying and thinking about these questions for over 20 years and have written next to nothing. (2 - 1/2 very obscure articles.) I promise that, if I ever get some time off, I'll give your challenge the kind of response it obviously deserves. Peter Yoshie Furuhashi wrote: Marxists would be free to study and write about M-C-M'. Peter Seriously, Peter, you criticize Bello for being "much too reformist," but your program -- "to socialize (which is not necessarily to put under public ownership) corporations national and transnational, and to craft a set of rules and governing procedures to make possible trade without the lash of global competitiveness that has poisoned every national political economy" -- looks to me to be _also_ much too reformist utopian to boot. :) Not that you can't criticize Bello for being "much too reformist," but if that's your criticism, your reader naturally expects more than what you offered. Yoshie
Re: Walden Bello on dismantling corporations and their proxies
Ian says: So what's your meta-reformist plan to get us beyond M-C-M' Yoshie? First of all, I think we (in the USA) have to get more serious about reform struggles at local national levels. When we have no power base, no mass movement in this country (USA), we can't "craft a set of rules and governing procedures to make possible trade without the lash of global competitiveness" except in theory. No local national struggles = no international struggle, I believe. Meanwhile, we'll continue our opposition to the Evil Empire (even though we can't expect any victory in this arena in the foreseeable future). We are a galaxy away from the abolition of M-C-M', as things stand now. I'd like to think that it can't get worse than this, but we all know that it can. Yoshie
