Who Says We Can't Curb Corporate Power?

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At that somber moment, a dispirited collection of environmental and social justice activists convened in San Francisco to examine the consequences of globalization. The group—convened by Jerry Mander of the Deep Ecology Foundation, included veteran strategists such as Vandana Shiva, John Cavanagh, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Martin Khor, Tony Clarke, David Korten, Lori Wallach, Andrew Kimbrell, Maude Barlow, Mark Ritchie, David Morris, and Edward Goldsmith—decided to keep the conversation going on a broader scale by creating a new organization devoted to economic and environmental sustainability: the International Forum on Globalization (IFG).

Conceived as a think tank to develop strategies for revitalizing local economies and reversing corporate globalization, the IFG soon became an advocacy organization with a powerful message about what happens when corporations rule the world. Through the ’90s, it sponsored a series of teach-ins, issued numerous publications, produced full-page ads in major newspapers, and organized strategy and alliance-building meetings that helped give birth to the anti-globalization movement in the United States. It continues to research and discuss global issues ranging from human rights to food safety, giving a strong voice to ideas usually missing in mainstream debates. The group’s latest report is Alternatives to Globalization—A Better World Is Possible, which marks a turning point for the movement from being “anti” to being proactive and visionary. The publication envisions new fundamental principles for economic models, alternative international structures, and corporate reform and emphasizes local economies and new operating systems for energy, transportation, and agriculture. This excerpt is from the chapter on corporations. For more information, write to IFG at 1009 General Kennedy Ave. #2, San Francisco, CA 94129; phone: 415/561-7650; e-mail: ifg@ifg.org; Web site: www.ifg.org.
—Craig Cox

The Anti-Corporate Tool Kit

Corpwatch
A watchdog group to “hold corporations accountable”
www.corpwatch.org

Corporate Accountability Project
Home of the “Corporate Dirt Archives”
www.corporations.org

Program on Corporations, Law, and Democracy (POCLAD)
Researches corporate, labor, and legal issues with a pro-democracy bent
www.poclad.org

Reclaim Democracy
Works to restore citizen authority over corporations; publishes quarterly newsletter, The Insurgent
www.reclaimdemocracy.org

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