Topic > The pros and cons of anti-globalization - 699

The anti-globalization movement has been criticized mainly by politicians, people with conservative ideologies and institutions and, also, by many economists. There are different types of criticism of the anti-globalization movement. Ideological anti-globalization is attacked mainly by the conservative wing of politics, but especially by liberals and defenders of free trade, who argue that the free economy is a right of individual freedom. Many of them believe the movement has its basis in Marxism, and the protesters have no idea where the wealth comes from. There are famous people who defend liberalism, such as the Italian politician Emma Bonino or the Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstat. In the world of culture we must highlight the Swedish writer Johan Norberg, with his book “In Defense of Global Capitalism” or the philosophers Michael Heath and Andrew Potter who state that cultural rebellion is the basis of consumerism. Some critics are afraid of the possibility that this movement will turn into a global revolution. But the leaders of the movement say that this movement has a peaceful structure and that they are a minority, therefore they do not pose a threat to the established order. Violence and criminalization One of the main criticisms against the anti-globalization movement is that they sometimes use violence in demonstrations. Some radical activists, such as those who belong to the so-called "Black Blocs", defend the attacks on McDonald's, banks and shop windows by saying that it is a reaction against the system and that it is the best way to focus the attention of the masses average on the movement. It is true that not all members of the movement belong to the radical side and, what is more, the majority or...... middle of paper...... jobs, returning to the poor and having no options for the economic take-off. Lack of evidence People who are against the movement say that today's evidence and the results of globalization do not support the anti-globalization movement: • Fall of people from developing countries living on less than $1 a day in the 'East Asia. • World income per capita increased the most from 2002-2007 • Increase in universal suffrage, from no nation in 1900 to 62.5% of all nations in 2000. There are similar trends for electricity, cars, radios and telephones per capita, as well as the percentage of the population that has access to clean water. Even so, members of the anti-globalization movement argue that positive data from countries that have largely ignored neoliberal prescriptions, particularly China, discredits the evidence presented by pro-globalists.