By Roberto Savio and - -
ROME, Aug 16 2011 (IPS)

Before anything else what we need today is a paradigm to diagnose and address the many grave global problems that face us all but are experienced differently in the various regions of the world. Because in Europe the crisis is more evident and is causing the suffering of tens of millions of people, the young especially, we must take it as reality.

The Paradigm: there is no peace without security, especially in these times. But security is not military security, which soaks up 1.6 trillion dollars per year. Security is human security, though the combined government spending on development amounts to a mere USD 50 billion. If just ten percent of military spending went to aid humans, we would have another 160 billion dollars -far more than the UN would need for a climate control accord. A world in which the richest 51 million people have the wealth of the 1.2 billion poorest people is not sustainable.

Six serious problems stand out on the horizon and must be addressed.

1. The world today is undergoing a profound crisis of governability. The social and economic decline of the countries of the North (as in the South we see the emergence of new global actors) is giving rise to a reckless gambit of parties and movements that dream of a return to bygone eras. The Tea Party, which has captured the US Republican Party, and the right-wing xenophobic parties that have emerged in model progressive countries like Holland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and others are also the result of reckless gambit. Add to this the fact that there has been a transition from the end of ideologies to the embrace of pragmatism as the most mature political formula. But without analysis and a clear frame of reference we have passed from pragmatism to utilitarianism, in other words, the scope of political activity has been reduced to only that which is useful.

Thus the political crisis emerges as the priority. Greater participation in the process beyond simply voting must be encouraged. We need a participatory democracy in which the discussion of the common good, and not only water and nuclear power, is delegated to the people.

2. A key element in the crisis is the uncontrolled frenzy of finance, which is increasingly unregulated and opposed to the real economy. While trade has dropped by 15 percent worldwide, financial transactions are rising continuously, now amounting to 40 trillion dollars per day. Finance lacks any form of international regulation. The pressure from the stock markets is so intense that today the fiscal deficit is seen as more important than the social deficit.

The first crucial step is this: we must recognise the social deficit as the priority. Savings banks must be prohibited from speculating with their clients’ money, which would shrink the speculation bubble. The number of instruments of speculation in use, many of which are no more than high-risk lotteries, must be reduced.

3. These two crises have brought the idea of international cooperation to its knees. International social justice and solidarity are now considered marginal. And yet in a globalised world, profits and market logic cannot be allowed to be the sole guiding principles. The maintenance of ethical standards must be a fundamental part of international relations.

In this regard, another necessary step is reviving the idea of a tax on financial speculation, the volume of which is so colossal that a tax as small as 1/100 of one percent could generate 400 million euros per day. The revenue could be distributed to the victims of the crisis, the unemployed, the young, the social deficit, proportionally to the size of each country.

4. One issue that involves all humanity is the environment. The data on global warming are there for all to see. Yet the American government is held hostage by a congress that denies that the process is real. Meanwhile a new category of refugee is being created: environmental refugees, which the UN believes could grow in number to 400 million in 30 years. Those most intensely effected by the process are the poor, the Africans first and foremost, though Europe will be hard hit as well.

And so we call on members of parliament to enact international mechanisms to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and introduce green technologies -steps that the entire world (except perhaps China) is behind in taking. We ask citizens to recognise that our current model of development, based on consumerism, is no longer sustainable, which means that unfortunately our lifestyle must be changed.

5. One issue that must never be forgotten is human rights. According to the International Labour Organisation, each year 12.3 million people are captured by groups tied to crime and forced to work in inhuman conditions. According to the OSCE, in Europe there are hundreds of thousands of people at the very least living in conditions of virtual slavery. We need an open debate to create a European immigration policy that goes beyond the commonplaces that European politicians hide behind.

6. One final priority is restoring the dignity of labour. Today labour unions represent only 12 percent of the labour force worldwide, defending their members from an increasingly savage employment environment. Eighty percent of the workers of the world receive no benefits. Youth unemployment is between 30-70 percent above the average.

And so the concepts of solidarity and intergenerational responsibility need to be revitalised. The economic and fiscal system must be reengineered to shrink the growing gaps between those who are inside the system -and often do well- and those who are stranded on the outside. It is a politically suicidal issue and so is usually left unaddressed. But if something isn’t done, we will be drawn into a world of intense misery and destitution.

The present situation demands of us all commitment, sacrifice, and common and individual efforts. There is no Churchill who, promising blood and tears, managed to mobilise his country against Nazism. Nor is there a Manifesto to galvanise and guide us. However, the facts are clear and demonstrate unequivocally that we cannot avoid what lies ahead. Blaming politicians will not be enough. We are all equally responsible. (END/COPYRIGHT IPS)

(*) Roberto Savio is founder and president emeritus of the Inter Press Service (IPS) news agency.

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