Linking Alternatives: a budget.
By Amisnet • May 24, 2010 By EliseMelot and Ciro Column
We close our matches today by the summit between the European Union and Latin American and Caribbean countries held in Madrid. In recent days, in addition to the official summit, we have extensively documented the work of the Counter-Summit Linking Alternatives. Let us now give a first critical appraisal of the two initiatives that have taken place in parallel, the budget that will necessarily be partial and not exhaustive.
First, the official summit that - in the context of systemic crisis involving both continents question, although with important regional specific - it seemed a meeting than ever "sealed", in which the European side was very clear what were their goals (get more room to maneuver for their own businesses in Latin America and strengthen its economic penetration and commercial). On the Latin American government positions "complacent" that have appeared more inclined to sign the agreements proposed by the European side and those of governments not "aligned" with little chance of escape or to influence decision-making. Thus, the negotiations for the signing of a free trade agreement in goods between the European Union and Mercosur - the economic community, which includes Uruguay, Paraguay and two giants of Latin America such as Brazil and Argentina - have been restarted. Moreover, during the summit, Europe has been the signing of a trade agreement with Central American countries but also with Colombia and Peru.
other hand, the counter-summit was developed in a pattern now familiar to the great social forum, in the articulation of a number of laboratories in which reality very far from each other (not only from the geographical point of view) have tried to put into practice and common vocabulary to address global problems.
We feel the difference and take note of the distance between the various movements that have created the Forum has unfortunately played a significant role, in terms of a difficulty in speaking a common language and build an effective policy planning and intervention. We recall that the meeting is now in its fourth edition, and already the second the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal participates. During these years, the work of the bi-regional network and the Court, based on careful study of specific cases, has allowed the development of very precise analysis of the dynamics often with disastrous effects for local people, taking place in Latin America, of which European companies are facing actors the institutions themselves.
On this front, however, are likely to miss communication initiatives with the official summit, which in fact took place without taking the slightest account of the work of Linking Alternatives.
These elements lead us to think whether to rethink the all-encompassing form where you play some of these great forums, as that seems to be increasingly self-referential and unable to affect the real dynamics.
We talked to Francesco Martone, a member of the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal, to try to figure out with him what may be the critical issues and prospects for development and revival of these routes.
http://amisnet.org/agenzia/2010/05/24/enlazando-alternativas-un-bilancio/
