Antioglobalism with a Russian face

The World Economic Forum in Davos, which is considered almost the main event of globalists, was preceded by the World Social Forum in Mumbay, more familiar to us - in Bombay, where anti -globalists gathered from around the world. And in the Globalist Davos and in the anti -globalist bombing, Russia was represented scarce. Not scarce by persons, but topics and problems. Meanwhile, the Davos forum Russian press noticed and once noted, the Bombay forum actually looked at the forum. Oleg Bondarenko, a participant in the anti -globalist social forum, participates in our conversation today from Moscow. Oleg Bondarenko, I will present it, secretary of the public relations of the Union of Communist Youth of Russia. From Munich, a young German journalist Alexander Luhtai participates in the program; From Paris, our correspondent Semen Mirsky. Oleg Vladimirovich Bondarenko, if specifically, what kind of Russia do Russian anti -globalists want to see? How does their globalism confuse, embarrassing in relation to Russia?

Oleg Bondarenko: In fact, of course, this question is a difficult and unambiguous answer to it now, I think it is too early to give, since in Russia, firstly, the anti-globalist movement has not yet been formed as such. Yes, we have supporters of the left idea, especially among young people, Trotskyists, Maoists, anarchists, and so on, in the end, Limonovites, but how to justify all this in the anti -globalist idea, so far this is a matter for Russia. What anti -globalists want to see Russia? Probably, so that there are no situations when, relatively speaking, the Mercedes, passing through the streets, spray the beggars with their huge tires, who are still asking for the alms in countless quantities throughout Moscow. So that there is no such terrible social injustice that we observe today in Moscow, when there are people who live well or relatively good, and at the same time there are many beggars, there are many people who exist, they survive literally one hundred dollars, if not less than a hundred dollars a month. Maybe recently it has not become so noticeable in Moscow, but if you drive from Moscow literally a hundred kilometers, there we will see a completely different life, those people who live a hundred dollars a month will prevail, and Mercedes will clearly decrease.

Lev Roitman: Oleg Vladimirovich, you are opposed to social injustice, but my question still has a slightly different orientation. Here you were in Bombay, in India at the anti -globalist forum. Last year, for example, an anti-globan congress was held in Saint-Denis near Paris, the European Forum of Anti-Globalists. There was a great performance of anti -globalists in Genoa. There was a performance of anti -globalists in Florence, everywhere there were up to the point that "crystal nights" were beaten so many windows. How does these anti -globalist beatings of showcases have to do with the compilation of manifestos to the poor in Moscow or poor in Ryazan?

Oleg Bondarenko: This has the most direct attitude to the poor. And from how much, how powerful the so -called transnational corporations will be, how comparable their budgets with the budgets of entire countries will be comparable, as we see today, the Toyota budget exceeds the total GDP of Portugal, this directly depends on the number of poor. Relatively speaking, a small example: why does Jose Bow himself are so advancing from the personal, I want to emphasize - from personal interests at the beginning, when he came to the anti -globalist movement, why did he advance for this? Because he, a simple French farmer, wants to sell his cheeses in France, and to him the monopoli corporations that captured this market from other countries, including, they do not allow him to realize their capabilities. We can talk about competition, we can talk about the market, but here we are no longer about equal access to this market of all its participants. Because there are monopolies that monopolize all this, and there are such as Jose Bow, which can no longer do anything about it. And another little remark: I was in Paris, but there was not only a forum in Saint-Denis, in four places in the suburbs of Paris.

Lev Roitman: Thank you, Oleg Borisovich. And so my not answered, maybe a naive question: what exactly is the Russian part of the protest against globalism in relation to Russia? We understand that both globalism and anti -globalism are very blurry and vague concepts. Antiglobalism exists as a reaction to globalism, and the definition of globalism does not exist. Alexander Luhtai, continue to study, a student at the University of Munich. The Germans are actively involved in the anti -globalist movement. What is the meaning of anti -globalism for them?

Alexandra Luhtai: The problem arises the same, the concept is quite amorphous. I have to say that traditionally German youth is more left, these are precisely the numerous left -wing groups that are ranked to representatives of the organization in Germany, which was born in France, she has a lot of departments in the majority of Notran, Westphal and Hessen, and industrialized zones. But they agree that, of course, the theory is that the international good, the condition later globalization turned out to be a deception, that the growing gap between the rich and poor, northern and southern countries are obvious, and are trying to fight against it. The problem is that, despite these convincing points, the recipes offered by them are still unrealized. In any case, on this day, most activists are not ready to experience, they only urge, to experience worldwide solidarity. Moreover, most anti -globalists concentrate precisely on the third world countries, in relation to which the Germans have no remorse. Compared to other countries of the European Union, Germany pays the most for help in development from the state budget and from private pockets. Therefore, so far it seems that this assistance has not led to anything and that, from a moral point of view, the views of anti-globalists, perhaps, are justified, but their proposals are not able to solve any problems.

Lev Roitman: Thank you, Alexander Luhtai, Munich. Semyon Mirsky, I have already mentioned this Parisian Eurodum. In France, how do the specific requirements of anti -globalists understand?

Semyon Mirsky: Since Oleg Bondarenko mentioned the name of Jose Bow, the sign figure of French anti -globalism, calling him an ordinary French farmer, of course, this name very amused me and made fun of me a little. To call Jose Bow, a businessman from politics, an ordinary French farmer is just as appropriate as in 1917 to call Vladimir Ilyich Lenin an ordinary Russian lawyer. This is so, the remark is in order of dialogue with a colleague. And as for the face of French and international anti -globalism, the face is not one, and it is very important to emphasize, at least several of these persons. One person is a completely old tradition, which is a subtract of this ideological movement, and this, of course, is anarcho -syndicalism. Here we must recall the Russian fathers of this movement, that is, Mikhail Bakunin with his "international brotherhood" and, of course, Prince Peter Kropotkin. On the opposite from the anarchy-syndicalism of the pole are the relict influences of the now deceased communist international. And here it must be said that today's European communists, especially the French, are very careful about both Jose Bow and his movement of anti -globalists. Another, but very dark face of anti -globalism, is their connection with the extremely right parties, including a batch of neo -Nazis. This is especially pronounced not in France, but in neighboring Belgium, where one of the most radical neo -Nazi parties in Europe, the so -called "Flemish bloc" acts. Inside the Flemish Bloc, a small but very well -organized group, which is called "blood and honor of Flanders," acts. These are skinheads, known for the fact that they are faster and more thorough than others just the same windows that you talked about. It was this group, the so -called “black block”, that the Swiss police did not miss the economic forum in Davos that we talked about, and the “Black Bloc” had to be content with the beat of the windows in a small resort town, located about forty kilometers from Davos. And, finally, the last and very important face of this very anti-globalist movement is associated with the name of the American economist, Nobel laureate of the 81st year of James Tobin. This is a rather unexpected anti -globalism, but the figure today is probably the most important. We are talking about proposed by this economist and the so -called "Tobin Todin" that is the so -called "Tobin", which is an ultimatical requirement of anti -globalists. What are we talking about? In the lecture, read in Princeton University, Professor James Tobin, a student of the great Sh noise, suggested introducing a special tax on all international financial transactions, so that he believed to suppress the speculation of currency on a particularly large scale. Some time later, James Tobin developed his idea, suggesting that this very tax, levied from financial transactions, so that money from this tax goes to the treasury of the poorest countries of the third world. And this is exactly what - the “Tobin tax” is written today on the banners of anti -globalists.

Lev Roitman: Thank you, Semyon Mirsky. Oleg Vladimirovich Bondarenko, it was almost not covered in the Russian press that on the eve of the Davos forum, when the forum in which you participated, in Bombay was still held, a report prepared by the organizers of the Davos forum together with another research corporation was presented. And this report concludes: "Developed countries must export capital to countries with excess and constantly growing labor resources. This will raise the standard of living in developing countries, will lead to the influx of goods to developed countries." I quote in translation the main conclusion of this report. This is literally what anti -globalists call for. Isn't it?

Oleg Bondarenko: No, I do not agree with you, Lev. I do not agree, because this is all that it goes, we remember the well -known expression of Marx: there is no crime for which capital would not go for the sake of even greater capital, even greater money. And this is the same example, this is just an external form to show that we have democracy, that we also help underdeveloped countries. In fact, if we talk about the faces, anti -globalists, who were talked about, answering the previous question, dear colleagues, then a lot of people can be called here. Famous scientists and theorists of anti-globalism, which just act on all these moments of economic, are Susan George, this is Bellou, this is Kalikens, this is Valenstein and many, many more surnames can be called that the world is unfair, and capital is coming. Relatively speaking, there is a “golden billion”, and everything is financial speculations, all the capital, it spins, only providing this “golden billion”. And, as you know, the population of the Earth is six billion people, the remaining five billion, they find themselves in the position of servants who need to serve this "golden billion".

Lev Roitman: Oleg Vladimirovich, a passing question: in Davos, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Russia Alexei Kudrin, among the Russian closest pressure priorities, called Russia the entry into the World Trade Organization. How do Russian anti -globalists relate to this?

Oleg Bondarenko: Russian anti -globalists relate to this, of course, negatively. Because it will again put, firstly, a cross on many of our manufacturers, because, of course, I don’t want to go deep into economic issues now, it is clear that in Russia, relatively speaking, to extract certain products, to make them more cost much than in the West. And to increase gas prices and all other minerals, which, by the way, calls the WTO, for Russia it is like death, because we cannot just pay that kind of money.

Lev Roitman: From your point of view, if Russia is closed, will this contribute to the competitiveness of Russian production or only its constant lag?

Oleg Bondarenko: I would not say that in this situation Russia will become isolated, no, thank God, our turnover with many countries is quite large, including with advanced capitalist countries. Another thing is that this is unified, this standardization is universal - this is globalism. And, it is clear that in the process of standardization, in the process of unification, many people will suffer. So we are against this.

Lev Roitman: Thank you, Oleg Vladimirovich. Alexandra Luhtai, Munich, as they understand, say, “green”, which are members of the ruling coalition in Bonn, the problem of globalization, in which, naturally, the most significant and visible Germany, and antiglobalism, what is their position?

Alexandra Luhtai: I would like to briefly return to what Mr. Mirsky said about "Tobin's tax." After all, this is what exactly confuses most of the German youth, why they relate to anti -globalists quite skeptical. After all, it is unclear who should distribute this tax, who should control this money. And also in the political sphere, anti -Globalists urge the process of closing between politics and the economy, to give it to citizens, return it to the framework of democracy, obliging all the transnational organizations to work transparently, authorized and under democratic control. But who will be, how and whom to control is not clear here. I am about the "green", they behave quietly enough, because they, just like anti -globalists, made up the movement of protest. Many are dissatisfied with them, now they have betrayed their ideals in the ranks of the government, and therefore there is no specific position. Of course, they are also fighting for equality and justice, but confidence in them is quite low.

Lev Roitman: Thank you, Alexander Luhtai. Well, everyone wants justice. As for equality - the concept of vague, however, like justice. But I want to note that the anti-globalists, when they arrange their crystal days and nights and beat the windows, for some reason, first of all, McDonald's, a symbol of globalism refuses the scapegoat. Let it be so. But somehow it doesn’t come to mind, and now I’ll ask Oleg Vladimirovich about it that Chinese restaurants are presented around the world, probably ten times more often than McDonald's. Why don't the windows of Chinese restaurants beat, Oleg Vladimirovich?

Oleg Bondarenko: They will beat, probably, if it is Chinese globalization. But, thank God, we now do not see Chinese globalization, despite the fact that there are so many.

Lev Roitman: Ah, excuse me, what globalization you see - French, German, European, referring to the European Union, American, perhaps Latin American? I see Argentinean, for example, meat restaurants throughout Europe.

Oleg Bondarenko: First of all, we see American globalization now. And McDonald's, rather, not because someone does not like cheesburger or bigburger, but because it is aesthetically alien to young people. It is known that all the youth is left, not only in Germany, not only in France, but in Russia, too, it is clear that many of these moments, which at first from aesthetics, then a person begins to realize this in reality and understand that it is unfair, and McDonald's is like a symbol, like Mickey -Mouse, on the contrary. Only I would like to ask you: there is no need to reduce all the anti -globalist movement only to beat the windows. This is a form behind which there is a sufficiently powerful content.

Lev Roitman: Oleg Vladimirovich, let me notice, having interrupted you, unfortunately, that if there weren’t this beat of the windows, if there were no hooliganism, sometimes ending in the death of people, then the anti-globalist movement would have remained a curiosity in general outside of interest from the mass-media. This is a fact.

Oleg Bondarenko: Unfortunately, in our world of postmodern, you are really right, indeed, you must first defeat McDonald's so that someone pays attention to the fact that this is a real movement that offers absolutely real things that has absolutely real ground in the person, primarily youth. I would only like to answer Semyon Mirsky about the right. Of course, for anti -globalists, if you consider anti -globalists from an ideological point of view, the most important thing is the concept of internationalism. Maybe, unfortunately, I don’t know the situation in Belgium, but I can say what I witnessed, that I saw in Paris and Bombay, and even here, I can say: anti -globalists are the first internationalists who will never have any business with any neo -Nazis.

Lev Roitman: Thank you, Oleg Vladimirovich. It is probably for the sake of saying the truth that the National Bolsheviks of Limonov also participate in the anti-globalist movement, this is part of Russian anti-globalism.

Semen Mirsky: I would like to notice that, speaking of the varieties of anti -globalism, Oleg Bondarenko said for sure that the most important globalizer in the world is the United States of America. И, разумеется, общий знаменатель для всех этих движений и лимоновских нацболов, и фламандского блока из Бельгии, и для большой части российских неокоммунистов, которых представляет в нашей беседе Олег Бондаренко, это, конечно, прежде всего их достаточно примитивный антиамериканизм. Что же касается левой молодежи, то я в шутку замечу, что левая молодежь обожает питаться именно в "Макдоналдсах", которые я лично терпеть не могу. Но это личная ремарка, мой гастрономический вкус. А что же касается будущего этого движения и будущего мира вообще, то только два очень коротких замечания. Первое заключается в том, что демократия, достойная этого названия, существует только в странах с достаточно высоким жизненным уровнем. И второе замечание заключается в том, что если кто-то в нашем мире помогает бедным странам, то это именно страны богатые. Та же "Тойота" обладает самым большим в мире фондом меценатства и фондов бескорыстной помощи странам третьего мира. И имя таким организациям как "Тойота" в индустриализованных странах мира легион. И благодаря именно этим фирмам, этим глобалистским и мультинациональным фирмам вообще Африка и часть азиатского континента все еще живет, и в некоторых регионах мира даже происходит повышение уровня жизни благодаря тем самым капиталистам, против которых борются антиглобалисты.