Our own reform

By Awatef Abdel-Rahman

---

Much is being said about reform these days, but what kind of reform do we need? We all know what the Americans mean when they promote themselves as pioneers of global reform. We know what the Greater Middle East is all about. But have we, the Arabs, come up with a credible alternative formula? Most Arab countries have failed to come up with indigenous means of reform, ones that assert identity, preserve culture and serve Arab interests. The only exception is the Alexandria Document, but even this is flawed.

The Alexandria Document takes too many things for granted. One of the things it takes for granted is globalisation. It fails to see how this phenomenon has failed to alleviate poverty in the Third World. Globalisation has so far been synonymous with privatisation and minimal government intervention. As a result, life has become harder for the most vulnerable classes -- those who need state assistance in social and economic matters.

Alternatives to globalisation exist. They were spelled out in Porto Allegro, Brazil, in January 2001. They were discussed in Mumbai, India, in January 2004. The World Social Forum has put forward a vision of solidarity, of a world that does not bow to the exigencies of multinationals.

Our own Arab Social Forum has been set up from non-governmental organisations such as the Afro-Asian Solidarity Organisation, the Arab Lawyers Association, the Egyptian Anti-Globalisation Group and the Arab Human Rights Organisation. Participants of the Arab Social Forum went to Mumbai and presented an alternative development agenda, one based on social justice and popular participation. We don't need to follow the American model; we have our own.

This week's Soapbox speaker is a professor of journalism at Cairo University.