Surviving Capitalism (Not) : G8 debates

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Monday, June 24, 2013

G8 debates

Click here to access article by Thierry Meyssan from VoltaireNet.

The author's report on the recent summit of most of the biggest capitalist powers (the G8 does not include China, Brazil, or India) provides some interesting perspectives on their rivalries in relation to major issues.

The unsinkable G8, meeting in Lough Erne [Northern Ireland], was an opportunity to contrast the views of the United States on the one hand, France and the United Kingdom on the other hand, and finally Russia, under the astonished eyes of the other participants. Views on world equilibrium in general and Syria in particular were aired. The economy was also discussed in order to lift the veil of secrecy shrouding the boards of offshore companies.

However, the G8, like most other such international forums, is really all about carving up the world between Western powers (NATO) and the rest of the capitalist countries to achieve hegemony over the exploitation of resources, labor, and markets to the benefit of their respective ruling classes.