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the world in subsequent years； usually gathering to attack meetings of the World Bank；
the IMF； and the G…8 industrialized nations。 From its origins； the movement that
emerged in Seattle was a primarily Western…driven phenome385
non； which was why you saw so few people of color in the crowds。 It was driven by
five disparate forces。 One was upper…middle…class American liberal guilt at the
incredible wealth and power that America had amassed in the wake of the fall of the
Berlin Wall and the dot…com boom。 At the peak of the stock market boom；lots of pampered
American college kids； wearing their branded clothing； began to get interested in
sweatshops as a way of expiating their guilt。 The second force driving it was a
rear…guard push by the Old Left…socialists； anarchists； and Trotskyites…in alliance
with protectionist trade unions。 Their strategy was to piggyback on rising concerns
about globalization to bring back some form of socialism； even though these ideas
had been rejected as bankrupt by the very people in the former Soviet Empire and China
who had lived under them longest。 （Now you know why there was no antiglobalization
movement tospeak of in Russia； China； or Eastern Europe。） These Old Left forces wanted
to spark a debate about whether we globalize。 They claimed to speak in the name of
the Third World poor； but the bankrupt economic policies they advocated made them；
in my view； the Coalition to Keep Poor People Poor。 The third force was a more amorphous
group。 It was made up of many people who gave passive support to the antiglobalization
movement from many countries； because they saw in it some kind of protest against
the speed at which the old world was disappearing and becoming flat。
The fourth force driving the movement； which was particularly strong in Europe and
in the Islamic world； was anti…Americanism。 The disparity between American economic
and political power and everybody else's had grown so wide after the fall of the Soviet
Empire that America began to…or was perceived to…touch people's lives around the
planet； directly or indirectly； more than their own governments did。 As people around
the world began to intuit this； a movement emerged； which Seattle both reflected and
helped to catalyze； whereby people said； in effect； 〃If America is now touching my
life directly or indirectly more than my own government； then I want to have a vote
in America's power。〃 At the time of Seattle； the 〃touching〃 that people were most
concerned with was from American economic and cultural power； and therefore the demand
for a vote tended to focus around economic rule…making in386
stitutions like the World Trade Organization。 America in the 1990s； under President
Clinton； was perceived as a big dumb dragon； pushing people around in the economic
and cultural spheres； knowingly and unknowingly。 We were Puff the Magic Dragon； and
people wanted a vote in what we were puffing。
Then came 9/11。 And America transformed itself from Puff the Magic Dragon； touching
people around the world economically and culturally； into Godzilla with an arrow in
his shoulder； spitting fire and tossing around his tail wildly； touching people's
lives in military and security terms； not just economic and cultural ones。 As that
happened； people in the world began to say； 〃Now we really want a vote in how America
wields its power〃…and in many ways the whole Iraq war debate was a surrogate debate
about that。
Finally； the fifth force in this movement was a coalition of very serious；
well…meaning； and constructive groups…from environmentalists to trade activists to
NGOs concerned with governance…who became part of the populist antiglobalization
movement in the 1990s in the hopes that they could catalyze a global discussion about
how we globalize。 I had a lot of respect and sympathy for this latter group。 But in
the end they got drowned out by the whether…we…globalize crowd； which began to turn
the movement more violent at the July 2001 Genoa G…8 summit； when an antiglobalization
protester was killed while attacking an Italian police jeep with a fire extinguisher。
The combination of the triple convergence； the violence at Genoa； 9/11； and tighter
security measures fractured the antiglobalization movement。 The more serious
how…we…globalize groups did not want to be in the same trench with anarchists out
to provoke a public clash with police； and after 9/11； many American labor groups
did not want to be associated with a movement that appeared to be taken over by
anti…American elements。 This became even more pronounced when in late September 2001；
three weeks after 9/11； antiglobalization leaders attempted a rerun of Genoa in the
streets of Washington； to protest the IMF and World Bank meetings there。 After 9/11；
though； the IMF and World Bank canceled their meetings； and many American protesters
shied away。 Those who did turn up in the streets of Washington turned the event into
a march against
the imminent American invasion of Afghanistan to remove Osama bin Laden and al…Qaeda。
At the same time； with the triple convergence making the Chinese； Indians； and Eastern
Europeans some of the biggest beneficiaries of globalization； it was no longer
possible to claim that this phenomenon was devastating the world's poor。 Just the
opposite： Millions of Chinese and Indians were entering the world's middle class
thanks to the flattening of the world and globalization。
So asthe how…we…globalize forces drifted away； and as the number ofThird World people
benefiting from globalization began to grow； and as America under the Bush
administration began to exercise more unilateral military power； the anti…American
element in the antiglobalization movement began to assume a much louder voice and
role。 As a result； the movement itself became both more anti…American and more unable
and unwilling to play any constructive role in shaping the global debate on how we
globalize； precisely when such a role has become even more important as the world
has gotten flatter。 As Hebrew University political theorist Yaron Ezrahi so aptly
noted； 〃The important task of enlisting the people's power to influence
globalism…making it more compassionate； fair； and compatible with human dignity…is
way too important to be wasted on crass anti…Americanism or left in the hands of only
anti…Americans。〃
There is a huge political vacuum now waiting to be filled。 There is a real role today
for a movement that could advance the agenda of how we globalize…not whether we
globalize。 The best place such a movement could start is rural India。
〃Both the Congress ＇Party＇ and its left allies would be risking India's future if
they draw the wrong conclusion from this ＇2004＇ election；〃 Pratap Bhanu Mehta； who
heads the Center for Policy Research in Delhi； wrote in The Hindu newspaper。 〃This
is not a revolt against the market； it is a protest against the state； this is not
resentment against the gains of liberalization； but a call for the state to put its
house in order through even more reform 。 。 。 The revolt against holders of power
is not a revolt of the poor against the rich： ordinary people are far less prone to
resent other people's success than intellectuals suppose。 It is rather an expression
of the fact that the reform of the state has not gone far enough。〃
This is why the most important forces righting poverty in India today； in my view；
are those NGOs righting for better local governance； using the Internet and other
modern tools of the flat world to put a spotlight on corruption； mismanagement； and
tax avoidance。 The most important； effective； and meaningful populists in the world
today are not those handing out money。 They are those with an agenda to drive reform
retail at the local level in their countries…to make it easier for the little man
or woman to register his or her land； even if they are squatters； to start a business；
no matter how small； and to get minimal justice from thelegal system。 Modern populism；
to be effective and meaningful； should be about reform retail …making globalization
workable； sustainable； and fair for more people by improving their local governance；
so that the money that has already been earmarked for the poor actually gets to them
and so that their natural entrepreneurship can get unlocked。 It is through local
government that people plug into the system and get to enjoy the benefits of the
flattening world rather than just observe them。 The average Indian villagers cannot
be likethe Indian high…tech companies and just circumvent the governmentby supplying
their own electricity； their own water resources； their own security； their own bus
system； andtheir own satellite dishes。 They need the state for that。 The market cannot
be counted on to make up for the failure of the state to deliver decent governance。
The state has to get better。 Precisely because the Indian state opted for a
globalization strategy in 1991 and abandoned fifty years of socialism…which had
brought its foreign reserves to near zero…New Delhi had reserves in 2004 of 100
billion； givin