A Group of Twenty Bastards
18 08 09 - 19:23The Group of Twenty, or G-20, is the modern incarnation of a long lineage of international conferences called by the ruling elite from varying regions for the purpose of economic and political negotiation. Representing the top 19 developed and developing economies, plus the European union, the G-20 is a consortium of world leaders from powerful nations meeting together to decide amongst themselves how best to carve up the rest of the world for their own empires and agendas. They set binding policies which are enacted with dubious legality and are frought with fraud and corruption. The decisions of the G-20 are enforced by the leaders in attendance without any input or oversight whatsoever from their own constituencies, let alone the billions of people from countries which are not represented at the conference. These decisions have long reaching and profound consequences which are always skewed to the benefit of those nations, corporations, and interests which are already wealthy and powerful, at the expense of the exploitation and domination of the rest of the "less-developed" world. The G-8, G-20, and other such conferences such as those of the WTO (World Trade Organization), are the means by which the international capitalist establishment maintains and enforces its global economic and political hegemony, and provide nothing beside (other than an opportunity for the bastard 'leaders' involved to engage in an orgy of chauvanistic self-congradulation). The idea is that, by utilizing the very same processes which have brought the world to ruin, the G-20 will be able to resolve the various crises they themselves have created while at the same time preventing the truly necessary social and economic changes required to achieve a better and more equitable world. They're trying to smother a fire with gasoline that they stole from the fire truck, so to speak.
In reality, the conference itself is little more than a media-friendly opportunity for the bastard figureheads of state to display a carefully scripted interest in the proceedings so as to appear engaged and in charge, whereas all of the important decision-making and negotiations have already been concluded in the preceeding years and months by various delegations, committees, and other interested (and powerful) parties. Then, when the corporate media's cameras are rolling, our handsome bastard leaders come in and take all the political credit for accomplishing absolutely nothing while managing to conceal the fact that they are total pawns of the true power brokers. Since the conference is primarily designed as a media event, it is also a perfect opportunity for the diverse groups in opposition to the unilateral policies of the G-20 to make their voices heard, in the streets and around the world. Protests have famously followed the G-8, G-20, and affiliated organizations, wherever they have gone the world over. On the first of April, the G-20 convened in London, and met record-setting crowds of protestors of every political persuasion. The protests have a two-fold effect: they increase solidarity and connectivity between disperate groups, and they help to reveal the true allegiances of the institutions which dominate our lives--- governments and police forces loyal not to their people, but to the economic interests of the capitalist establishment and the ruling elite.
Time and again, the forces of oppression show the astounding lengths to which they will go to crush opposition and dissent. Media suppression is critical to the establishment in this regard- when the RNC met in Minneapolis, USA, to nominate their Presidential candidate in 2008, nearly all independant media was pre-emptively raided and falsely incarcerated days before the event; protest organizers were thrown in jail indefinately on trumped-up charges. In Tehran, Iran, there was an explosion of state violence and a media crack-down, including the arrest, inprisonment, and torture of journalists native and foriegn alike, following a disputed presidential election. Despite the best efforts of the Iranian State, the story of the struggle of the People of Iran reverberated the world over, and could not be contained. This was mirrored in China during a brutal series of repressions against ethnic Uighurs, which featured a near full shut-down of the internet by state authorities. Even though the Chinese State is quite experienced in keeping its oppression quiet, they too were unable to prevent the world's attention from being drawn. In London during the G-20 protests of April, the police targeted cameras and the people holding them, aggressively and proactively attacked peaceful crowds, and even killed a man. We can expect all of this and possibly more when the G-20 comes to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, towards the end of September of this year, and no amount of disinformation or intimidation will silence the voices of those gathered there to voice their opposition.
In spite of the obstacles placed before them by well-funded institutions and powerful, oppressive states, organizers in Pittsburgh have begun to prepare the way for people from all over the USA and all over the world, of every persuasion, to come to their town and make their voices heard against the monolithic power of the G20. The People of Pittsburgh have a long and splendid history of resisting oppression and exploitation, and with the G20 coming to town, there has never been a better time to show solidarity with their struggles, and the struggles of the people of the world. They have generously made available a variety of resources, which can be found at
http://resistg20.org
and
http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20090818143344925
See you there.
Hale
