Archives
For the Month of April, 2000

News and Analysis
For The Week Ending April 21, 2000

Listen to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines or any of the individual interview segments below (All in RealAudio, needs RealPlayer 7 or RealPlayer G2).

This week we present a special edition of Between The Lines, focusing on the Mobilization for Global Justice actions in Washington, D.C.

The growing global justice movement: Where it came from, where it's headed
Interview by Scott Harris.

Kevin Danaher, co-founder of the group Global Exchange, examines the movement that organized the historic actions against the World Trade Organization in Seattle last winter and is now in Washington D.C. to oppose the policies of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Contact Global Exchange at 1-(800) 497-1994 or visit their Web site at www.globalexchange.org Visit www.a16.org for more information on this week's actions in Washington.

IMF/World Bank: A record of failure
Interview by Scott Harris.

Soren Ambrose, policy analyst with the 50 Years Is Enough Network, considers the track record of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank as these institutions intervene in the affairs of the poorest nations across the globe, lending billions of dollars and mandating neo-liberal economic policies. Structural adjustment programs mandate debtor governments open their economies to foreign corporations, focus agriculture on export crops, balance budgets through cuts in social programs and privatize publicly held enterprises. A consistent pattern has come to light as each debtor nation's economy has been restructured for high priorities in debt repayment, which devastates their environment and makes the rich richer and the poor poorer.

Contact the Network at (202) IMF-BANK or visit their Web site at www.50years.org

See this week's Between The Lines Q&A: "IMF/World Bank Policies Spark Protest in Washington, D.C."

Chronicling the emerging anti-corporate culture
Interview by Scott Harris.

Canadian journalist Naomi Klein, discusses her new book: "No Logo, Taking Aim at the Brand Name Bullies," a searing indictment of corporate global branding, and describes the mounting backlash against it. While corporate giants like Nike, Disney and Starbucks pour millions of dollars into creating an appealing image for their products, campus anti-sweatshop campaigns expose the dark side of these smiling cultural icons by pointing out the inhumane and exploitive conditions under which thousands labor to make their merchandise in far-away lands.

"No Logo, Taking Aim at the Brand Name Bullies," is published by Picador USA.

This week's summary of under-reported news
Compiled from alternative media sources by Bob Nixon

• The Nation, Feb. 21, 2000: Union and environmentalists strike up coalition to fight for sustainable economy, labor rights and environmental issues.
  
• The Economist, April 1, 2000: In the wake of the Asian economic crash, Thailand's child sex trade increasing with foreign pedophiles.
  
• New Internationalist, April 2000: Ten Thousand Villages goes mainstream.