As opponents of corporate globalization gather outside the high-powered
World Economic Forum (WEF) in New York City, thousands more from around
the world will be meeting in Brazil to share strategies and visions for
a just and sustainable world. From January 31 to February 5, 2002,
these dueling conferences will offer dramatically different ideas for
the future of the world economy.

The World Economic Forum, usually held in Davos, Switzerland, draws top
global business executives and world political leaders to its annual
closed-door sessions on "free market" economics and wealth production.
Influence-peddling and deal-making, say critics, comprise the real
substance of the WEF.

Five thousand miles due south, as many as 50,000 activists from around
the globe will gather in Porto Alegre, Brazil for the second annual
"anti-WEF" summit called the World Social Forum (WSF). Initiated in
2001, the WSF is a showcase for the wealth of alternative, democratic
and equitable approaches to globalization. Last year, organizers
anticipated 2,000 participants, but ultimately accommodated more than
10,000 people from 120 countries. This year, the number of delegates is
expected to be even larger. Many more U.S. participants will attend
this year, including a large number of community-based activists.

WHY ARE U.S. ACTIVISTS ATTENDING THE WORLD SOCIAL FORUM?

Many of the WSF delegates feel compelled to strengthen their
international ties in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist
attacks. According to Jia Ching Chen of San Francisco-based Just Act:
Youth Action for Global Justice, "I think particularly now, it's
important for Americans to realize that we have a big responsibility to
be concerned about the global economy. To have safety and security at
home, we need to have safety and security abroad."

Robin Alexander of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of
America said, "The only positive thing about September 11 is that it
made many people realize they're part of a bigger world and we need to
globalize solidarity."

Other activists are going to Porto Alegre hoping to make links with
international activists facing challenges similar to their own. Paul
Babin, a worker from Bloomington, MA, said, "Under the North American
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), my plant has been affected because General
Electric wants their contractors to be based in Mexico. So my plant is
moving to Reynosa to exploit workers there for $6 per day. The WSF will
help us find alternatives to corporate-led free trade in a democratic
way, something the WEF will never do."

Alda Melo, of the Service Employees International Union in Boston, is
also motivated by local impacts of globalization: "We're losing
high-paying union jobs. Corporations take the jobs to the South and
exploit workers, outlaw unions, and reap profits. Everyone loses except
for corporations."

Michael Guerrero, of the Southwest Organizing Project in Albuquerque,
explained that in his region, "The big multi-national corporations are
getting massive tax-breaks but not creating jobs. Our experience under
NAFTA shows us that this economic model doesn't work. At the WSF, we
will create new models."

U.S. activists will also be holding a range of events in New York City
to express their criticism of the WEF. For the past 31 years, the
annual WEF has been held in Davos, Switzerland, where it has been
increasingly overwhelmed by mass protests; its move to New York City in
2002 is unprecedented. Secretary of State Colin Powell is scheduled to
be among the political leaders who will join the corporate titans at the
Waldorf Astoria hotel. President Bush may also attend.