Socialist Action /March 2000
Editorials
Socialist Action salutes the 40,000 trade unionists, environmentalists,
students, farmers and other concerned people who took to the streets of
Seattle to protest the World Trade Organization in November.
We are also thrilled with the number of local organizing initiatives
that have arisen in the aftermath of Seattle, both to discuss the lessons
of that protest and to come up with a plan about what to do now. Proposals
include a mobilization against the IMF meeting scheduled to be held in Washington,
D.C., on April 16; support for the National Farmers Union march in the same
city on March 21; and mass May Day rallies around the theme of opposition
to global capitalism.
However, we think it is important to once again stress what we see as
a failure on the part of many of the organizers of the Seattle protest to
come out in clear opposition to the main enemy we face-capitalism, and especially
capitalism at home.
Furthermore, in coming up with strategies about how best to oppose capitalism,
we have to avoid getting sucked into the debate over free trade versus protectionism.
This is a debate between different sections of corporate America, and neither
side represents the interests of working people. Slogans like "fair
trade" serve only to confuse people into thinking that the way forward
is to support "good" capitalists against "bad" ones,
when in fact there is no such distinction.
The enemy is neither free trade nor protectionism. The enemy is all capitalist
trade policies-and the capitalist class as a whole, which inevitably puts
profits before human needs. To successfully fight and win we need to be
clear on whom exactly we're fighting against.
The massive protest in Seattle was significant because of its great size
and its bringing together such a diverse group of people and organizations,
from labor unions to environmental groups. It's also important to recognize
that it is exactly these kinds of mass mobilizations that have resulted
in historic gains for labor, women, Blacks and other progressive movements.
Our strength lies in our numbers!
Socialist Action calls for continued mass mobilizations, organized around
specific issues that affect working peoples' lives. We need to revitalize
the labor movement, the feminist movement, the Black liberation movement,
the gay and lesbian liberation movement, and the spirit of international
working-class solidarity.
If we avoid the traps laid for us by the ruling class by building an
independent working-class movement dedicated to fighting for our interests,
we can and will take on corporate American and win. And when that happens,
we'll be in a position to construct a new society, one where people come
before profits, and democracy is extended to every level of society. Join
us in the struggle for socialism!
Socialist Action /March 2000 |