THE DYNAMICS OF THE GLOBALIZATION: A WORLD-WIDE MEETING

From September 8th to 11th of 1998, the First International Meeting of the UNESCO Network United Nations University (UNU) was held in Rio de Janeiro, focusing on Global Economy and Sustainable Development (REG/GEN) and having as a general subject matter "the Dynamics of Globalization".

The inaugurating session was opened by the Network Coordinator, Professor Theotônio Dos Santos, who, after quickly presenting the REG/GEN's objectives, passed the word over to Minister Eduardo Portela, president of the Colégio do Brasil, home to the Network (REG/GEN) and the UNESCO Cathedra. Minister Portela, President of the UNESCO General Assembly, launched the Institution's support to the initiative, stressing its strategic importance. The following speaker was UNESCO Regional Counselor in Social Sciences for Latin America, Dr. Francisco López Segrera, who concluded the inauguration of the Network's (REG/GEN) international activities, of which he has been very supportive, due to their unquestionable importance in the current world situation. Dr. Segrera also announced the release of the book he organized, "El Reto de la Globalización - Ensayos en Homenaje a Theotônio Dos Santos", published by UNESCO - Caracas. In this book, the subject matter is dealt with seriously, which, according to him, makes it a valuable reference material for the Meeting.

Following the opening speeches, a video was shown, with the message recorded by UNCTAD Secretary General Ambassador Rubens Ricúpero, greeting the participators and offering a few hypotheses on the globalization process, whose inevitability, in his opinion, should be separated from the neo-liberal form it has taken, under the anarchical influence of the "free market", which is, nonetheless, governed by powerful monopolies and geoeconomic interests which render the existence of free commercial, investment, and financial exchange impossible. Ambassador Ricúpero called everyone's attention to the UNCTAD annual report, which was to be released on September 12th and would contain an alternative analysis of the world economic crisis. In addition, he had just released his book on the subject, which was to have been read before the debate at the Meeting. Finally, UNCTAD was interested in actively participating in the REG/GEN activities.

Thus, the appropriate environment had been created for the presentation on Global Capitalism, given by Ex-Minister Celso Furtado. In a concise, clear, and precise presentation, Professor Celso Furtado pointed out the limits of globalization, seen as a phenomenon reflecting the affirmation and expansion of the international capital, which circulates through transnational or global corporations. He reminded all of the creation of CEPAL, at the end of the 1940s, as a privileged moment in the theoretical advance towards understanding these phenomena and trying to brave an alternative route to the free flow of economic activity based on the market freedom which sentenced us, then, to the condition of rural societies. Professor Furtado spoke of the need for a Political Economy which would restore the balance between economy and power, giving continuity to the intellectual and political efforts through which CEPAL was founded and whose boldness and newness is quite pertinent at the present moment.

Inspired by such a stimulating opening, the Meeting moved ahead. Professor Theotônio Dos Santos opened the first session with a theoretical and methodological debate on the possibility of analyzing historical conjunctures without losing their connection to historical structures. Professor Paul Singer pointed out the contradiction between the National States and the free flow of capital and multinational companies. The debate, which ensued, went deeper into the relationship between globalization and regionalization processes, between globalization and the National States, between long, medium, and short economic cycles.

Within this setting, Academic Nodari Simoniya, vice-director of the famous Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), Russian Academy of Sciences analyzed the so-called "transition from socialism to the market economy" in Russia. Simoniya pointed out that the speed and haste with which the reforms were carried out led to the economic and political crisis, which Russia is presently undergoing, with power in the hands of a corrupt, risk-taking bureaucratic bourgeoisie. As representative of the highest categories of the Russian academic community, he explained, with precision, the characteristics of this crisis and the need for a new economic policy which would force the so-called "reforms" towards a strategy for the country's economic recovery. China was called upon as an example of a successful gradual reform with the necessary political securities. Dr. Oleg Tsukanov, a Russian immigrant in Brazil, intervened and attempted to point to the possibilities at hand for the country's political and economic recovery.

The debate on the Asian crisis was preceded by presentations given by Professor Akira Takahashi, from Tokyo University, and Professor Sunanda Sem, from New Delhi's Javah Nehru University. Both speakers stressed the negative role of the deregulation of the financial sector, spoke of the former economic progress of the Asian tigers, and reproached IMF policies, which, instead of encouraging the control of foreign capital, have come to protect it, leading to a growing imbalance.

The session on South-South relations was especially enriching, and emphasized the relations between Brazil and India, starting with a presentation by Dr. Ignacy Sachs from the Superior School of Social Studies of the Université de Paris. Professor Sachs spoke of the environmental, historical, and geopolitical communities in Brazil and India, whose relationship has existed ever since colonization by the Portuguese. Dr. Sachs showed how scientific, technological and commercial cooperation on the part of both countries could create extremely favorable results, especially in crucial areas such as the agricultural industry, biotechnology, nuclear energy, and so forth. Comments by Professor Sunanda Sem and other participants took this line of thought into a deeper perspective.

The session on Latin America was one of the most enriching. Dr. Armando Córdoba, dean of the Academy of Economic Sciences of Venezuela, carried out a historical analysis of the forms in which the region is articulated with the important economic centers of the world. He criticized the notion that "closed" economies were dominant in the region, when, in fact, we have always been internationally oriented. Professor Orlando Caputo, from Chile's Center for Transnational Studies, demonstrated the limited validity of the so-called "Chilean model" and its dependence on the export of copper, which inevitably tends towards a drop in prices, aided by the Chilean politics of creating an oversupply of the element. Ana Esther Ceceña, from UNAM, pointed out the limitations of free trade between Mexico, the USA, and Canada - NAFTA. She especially stressed the renewed fight for raw materials and the strong regional impact, of which the Chiapas case is a good example.

Next on the schedule was the session on Brazil and the Globalization Process, in which Reynaldo Gonçalves, from UFRJ, mentioned the chance of the State interfering in international economic relations and imposing policies of interest to the nation, even in a world undergoing globalization. João Paulo de Almeida Magalhães, from UERJ, pointed out the possibility of more active policies to control the flow of capital and monetary exchange. Maurício Dias David, from BNDES, analyzed the conflicting alternatives in economic policy.

The Meeting's next session was dedicated to methodological and interpretative problems and to organizational issues. Javier Martinez Peinado, from the University of Barcelona, analyzed the fundamental elements of globalization, emphasizing the need to transcend the approaches centered on national States. He talked about the network on World Economics (REDEM), located in Puebla, Mexico, and is to actively collaborate with the REG/GEN. Gerard Kebadjan also analyzed two French networks connected to REG/GEN. The World System network in GEMDEV, focusing on the theoretical issues of globalization, and the Celso Furtado Network on Economic Development, whose headquarters are shared by ISMEA and UNAM's Institute for Economic Investigations and which focuses mainly on the search for an alternative approach to Development, especially in Latin America, and a return to theoretical considerations, especially by the region itself, on the subject. Kebadjan also summarized the methodological points that should be considered for an analysis of globalization. Unlike Javier Martinez Peinado, he considers the Nation-States fundamental, nonetheless, for the well functioning of the globalized world economy.

With the participation of René Dreifuss (UFF-COPPE), Jaime Marques Pereira (IHEAL), Edina dos Santos (UNCTAD), Gregório Vidal (UAM), and Andre Jean Armand (CNRS-UERJ), the various dimensions of globalization were amply analyzed, seen from scientific-technological, financial, and legal points of view, among others. Edna dos Santos also described UNCTAD's research on world trade, the financial issue, and world investments. She also opened a passageway to great cooperation between UNCTAD and REG/GEN.

The final session was based on a research issue proposed by Pierre Salama (Paris, 13) and established the perspectives of REG/GEN's work for the future, which can be summarized in the following items:

1- Preparation of the next REG/GEN meeting next September, on a date close to the Latin American Economists' Meeting, as several REG/GEN members will be present on that date.

2 - Implementation of the REG/GEN homepage (whose technical details were presented by Dr. Doris Aragon, president of ILTC).

3 - Publication of the book with the papers presented at this meeting. They will immediately be included in the REG/GEN web site.

4 - Preparation of the 1st. debate subject: the world financial crisis. Taking advantage of UNCTAD's annual report on World Economy and International Trade, a good portion of which is dedicated to the international financial crisis, debates would take place in Chile, Mexico, Russia, Brazil, and Venezuela, and would be prepared in advance using papers which would lay the grounds for the September 1999 meeting.

THE NEW DIMENSIONS OF GLOBALIZATION

Considering that so many economists and social scientists were present on this occasion, the Economists' Councils of Rio de Janeiro (CONFECON and CORECON-RJ) decided to offer a conference for the general public on "The New Dimensions of Globalization".

This conference took place at the Rio de Janeiro Engineering Society and catered to a diversified audience, in which young students were clearly the majority. In the opening session, N. Simoniya (IMEMO), Oleg Tsukanov (MCMS), and Sunanda Sem (New Delhi University) analyzed, in a general sense, the appearance of continental economies.

On this occasion, autographed copies of the UNESCO book "El Reto de la Globalización: Ensayos en Homenaje a Theotônio Dos Santos" were made available to the public.

The next day, Gerard Kebadjan (Université de Paris), Akira Takahashi (Tokyo University), and José Carlos Miranda (IE-UFRJ) discussed the international financial crisis and its developments.

Finally, in the closing session, Javier Martinez Peinado (University of Barcelona), Gregório Vidal (UAM-Mexico), and Theotônio Dos Santos (UFF) spoke on the subject: "Is there a globalization theory?" The sessions were presided by João Paulo de Almeida Magalhães, president of IERJ, Reynaldo Gonçalves, vice-president of CONFECON and Ademar Mineiro, president of CORECON-RJ.

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