Kofi Annan on the global state

[Chris Burford <cburford@xxxxxxxxxx>]

"Can we not attempt on a global level what any successful industrialised
country does to help its most disadvantaged or undeveloped regions to catch
up."



              Saturday, 12 February, 2000, 13:23 GMT
              Annan calls for global deal

              United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi
              Annan, has told an international trade
              conference that rich countries must do
              more to help poor ones.

              The conference, in the Thai capital
              Bangkok, opened against a background of
              noisy but peaceful protests.

Whether the physical attack on Michel Camdessus by the Belgian group,
Bakers without Borders can be said to be entirely peaceful, is debatable.
The offensive instrument was said to be soft and sweet.

Camdessus was already pleading for a more representative global forum.


Annan's remarks are potentially significant.

What industrialised countries do is to transfer capital from the centre to
the periphery. In the US this is done by the important unwritten
consitutional mechanism of pork barrel politics.

Anann's bland remarks imply transfer of capital from the imperialist
heartlands to the periphery, and quasi global state institutions.

It will of course be anathema to dogmatic marxists of a left opportunist
deviation who believe that marxism says there is only one feature of the
state: it is a mechanism by which one class oppresses another *and nothing
else*.

It should be unnecesary to say, but since Annan regards Adam Smith as one
of the men of the millenium, positive remarks by him, should not encourage
people unswervingly to tail behind him. But nor should we fail to notice
the space it opens up when he does make positive remarks.

Others however may prefer to send a donation to the Bakers without Borders
defence campaign.

Every little bit helps.

Chris Burford

London