The answers of anti-globalisation.

(published in Dutch and French)

The Belgian journalist Dirk Barrez wrote a comprehensive book on the platform of ideas that carry anti-globalisation.

Since end 1999 the media break news on massive protest actions against globalisation, taking place all over the world, from Seattle to Genova, from Porto Alegre to Bangkok.. The movement is fuelled by a deep rooted disbelief in a world in which priority is given to the economy instead of to humankind; a world of rising global inequality; in which human rights are in danger, ecological disaster is threatening and the decision making about all these phenomena is secretive, thus not accountable to democratic processes.

Anti-globalisation is a misleading term for the worldwide movement that is developing alternatives for these threats. End of January 2001, thousands gathered in Porto Alegre, Brasil, for the first World Social Forum under the motto For an other world. This new Forum aims at an economy serving humankind and defines itself manifestly as the counterpart of the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Dirk Barrez was a participant in Porto Alegre. He had long and intense conversations with Naomi Klein, Walden Bello, Ignacio Ramonet, Aminata Traoré, Joao Stedile, Riccardo Petrella, Shalmali Guttal, Bernard Cassen, Muchtar Pakpahan, Harlem Désir, Sylvia Borren and many others. The talks centered around such concerns as : Where does globalisation go wrong? What direction has to be taken to save the world? Are we witnessing the birth of a global social movement capable of realizing a new and better world?

(The Answers of Anti-Globalisation by Dirk Barrez is published by Globe, Meiboomlaan 33, B 8800 Roeselare, Belgium, roulartabooks@roularta.be, 264 pages, 20 euro)