I'll get back to your post on Monday 23rd.
In the meantime, I'd like to share the funny impression I've got about the current G8 upheaval in Genoa, Italy...
G8 summit death shocks leaders
July 21, 2001 Posted: 1:43 AM EDT (0543 GMT)
GENOA, Italy (CNN) -- World leaders called for calm as streets stood empty Friday night outside the site of the Group of Eight summit, in marked contrast to the violent demonstrations during the day that left one man dead from gunfire and more than 100 other people wounded.
Security forces have detained more than 50 people.
Italian police sources identified the dead man as Carlo Giuliani, 23, a Genoa resident originally from Rome. The Italian Ministry of the Interior said judicial authorities were investigating and the ministry would report its findings to Italy's parliament Monday.
[snip]
cnn.com
Now, I suggest you put the above dramatic event in perspective with the "Tiananmen incident":
Thousands gather for Tiananmen Square anniversary
June 4, 2001 Posted: 9:55 AM EDT (1355 GMT)
cnn.com
So, my point is that, somehow, both events have similar roots: Europe and China are fast-evolving societies --yet in different directions... European countries are basically scrambling to escape decadence and geopolitical irrelevance. Hence their frantic endeavour to enlarge their geographic clout (by co-opting Central Europe). However, unemployment, poor high-tech/IT achievements and a sluggish macroeconomic outlook won't be solved by the addition of Eastern European countries whose combined GDP is about 9% of the EU's...
So, my prediction is that political riots such as Genoa's and Goteborg will likely gain momentum in the future as Europe's overall decline will worsen, whereas, at the same time, China will undergo similar unrests, yet for exactly opposite reasons: with its GDP growing 7-8% annually, China is set on a virtuous spiral. That is to say, the challenge for Chinese rulers is to better distribute an ever larger pie... Meanwhile, the challenge for European leaders will be to share a stagnant/shrinking portion of the world economy among their respective constituencies --quite a different ballgame...
Although the previous "global jamborees" in Seattle, Montreal and Puerto Alegre showed us that the US, Canada, and other non-European countries also harbored anti-globalization activists, I've noticed that the bulk of them come from Europe, probably because of the socioeconomic backdrop I've just hinted at. Bottom line: the EU will likely have its own "Tiananmen" in the coming months... In 2008, the Chinese might question the participation of EU countries in the Olympics... on the grounds of human rights violation!! Such an irony --LOL!
Gus. |
