Article by Angelo Alves, member of the Political Commitee and member of the International Department
Once again, the end of January was the occasion for the taking place of two international initiatives of opposite purposes: the World Economic Forum, which took place, once more in the opulent touristic Davos resort and the World Social Forum, in Amazonia, in the Brazilian town of Belem, in the State of Pará.
It is not a rhetoric exercise to tell about the Davos Forum that little is to say. If there were any new happenings, that was the notable turning round of those who always devilished the role of economy within the State, now currently united in the defence of their intervention, in order to save the great economic and financier groups and their profits. But even this turn round is not new – it is the old State monopolist capitalism applied towards the current globalization conditions and that at present, the discredited social-democracy tries to present as "neo-Keynesianism". If, in other conclave editions, which gather the world greatest capitalists and the political responsible, at their service, neoliberal dogmas and the "Almighty market" virtues were their speeches motto, during the 2009 edition, empty speeches together with the capitalist propaganda sound bytes, which were the hallmark of a "downcast" Forum, smelling musty and that nothing had to announce to the World, besides the usual rigmarole.
The World Social Forum was, on its own, a mist of novelty and repetition. Novelty for the moment on which it takes place – a deep capitalism crisis, in the economic, social, energy, food and environment aspects – and, by comparison with the Davos "bloquade", which justified a greater attention from the media.
Doubled attention by the fact the WSF deepened, from the symbolic and also political point of view, the counterpoint with Davos, by hosting as "participants" five Latin-American presidents, who represent the strengthening of progressist alternative processes, towards the capitalist rule in the region.
Novelty, because, during the WSF, the word socialism was freely spoken of, by the overwhelming majority of its participants, including the "highlight names".
The Forum debates and the Social Movements release itself were underlined by speeches of affirmation of socialism, as alternative to the capitalism crisis; against the IMF role; for the Bank and the economies strategic sectors nationalization, among others. A positive evolution, considering, not many years ago, such ideas were but backed up by the Communist Parties, which, anti-democrately banned from the WSF, through its International Council, persisted, and up to now persist – as what happened with the seminar organized by several Communist Parties, " The capitalism crisis and the new struggle for socialism", in which the PCP participated – by introducing political and ideological coherence factors through an initiative, which, since its first edition, repeats the slogan "Another world is possible".
And that is the so fourth reason why the WSF also was a repeating watch. Notwithstanding a clearer general speech, mainly under the influence of the world’s situation, the continent were it took place and its participants’ origin – out of the 5800 participant entities, 4200 came from South America -, however, the Forum nature continues to be marked by its centralized and not elected leadership, issue from a whole of NGO’s – with rare exceptions, such as the No-Land Movement – which, living under the system and in order to defend it, created the " non organization" and the " apartidarism" myth, in order to, in fact, manage the Forum, " domesticate" it and prevent the urgent political and ideological clarifying to handover meaning to the WSF motto. The deep contradiction among the Forum "foundation" feelings, together with some of its "leaders" calculism and orchestration, might, if non-resolved, kill the whole process. One of the WSF founders, Samir Amin’s alert, makes sense: "The most important struggles are no more within the Forum".
