Walden Bello

This absorbing memoir by a legendary public intellectual from the Global South vividly recounts his journey from student activist to a global figure on the international left. It traces Walden Bello's life trajectory from a leader of the movement against the Vietnam War at Princeton to Salvador Allende's Chile, where he provides a startling take on its "peaceful road to socialism". His participation in the US-based movement to cut off US assistance to the Marcos dictatorship led to iconic acts of protest - using Sesame Street's Miss Piggy and Kermit to depict the Filippino leadership; infiltrating a Lincoln Center event as officials, greeting Imelda Marcos warmly in English followed by "We're going to get you bastards" in Filippino, as the audience remained oblivious; and a celebrated heist of 6000 pages of confidential documents from the World Bank that were then turned into the best-selling international expose Development Debacle: The World Bank in the Philippines. Bello provides a detailed account and analysis of the anti-dictatorship movement in the Philippines, where the leading National Democratic Front led by the CPP was eventually marginalized following the so-called "EDSA Uprising" that ousted Ferdinand Marcos, Sr, in 1986. He exposes the Reagan administration officials' maneuvering that prevented the Left from coming to power, and the subsequent CPP runaway purge that triggered his departure from it. Bello became one of the leaders of the of the global struggle against neoliberalism and its key institutions, the WTO, IMF, and the World Bank. He captures the din and smoke of the historic street battles of the 2000's--in Seattle, Prague, Genoa, and Cancun--then gives an engaged intellectual's analysis of the anti-globalization and anti-empire movements. While an elected official in the Philippines Congress, Bello engaged in parliamentary battles over family planning and agrarian reform. The New Slave Trade chapter addresses his efforts to assist trapped Filipino domestic workers. He outlines his efforts to make the Philippines steer an independent course between the United States and China. In 2015 he resigned from the Philippine Congress in 2015 after 6 years' service--the only recorded resignation on a matter of principle in the history of the Congress. Truly, a life well lived, with much to offer by way of hope and example. "A thinker and philosopher with the courage to live according to his values, Walden Bello is the only Filipino to resign from Congress because of his principles. In Global Battlefields, he reflects on his lifelong fight for justice and equality, and why some of the movements he helped lead failed. This is not just a feel-good story of activism; it's a raw and honest examination of what it takes to challenge power and money - essential reading for anyone working for a just world." -- Maria Ressa, recipient of Nobel Peace Prize, 2021

Emerging relatively unscathed from the banking crisis of 2008, China has been viewed as a model of both rampant success and fiscal stability. But beneath the surface lies a network of fissures that look likely to erupt into the next big financial crash. A bloated real-estate sector, roller-coaster stock market, and rapidly growing shadow-banking sector have all coalesced to create a perfect storm: one that is in danger of taking the rest of the world’s economy with it. Walden Bello traces our recent history of financial crises – from the bursting of Japan’s ‘bubble economy’ in 1990 to Wall Street in 2008 – taking in their political and human ramifications such as rising inequality and environmental degradation. He not only predicts that China might be the site of the next crash, but that under neoliberalism this will simply keep happening. The only way that we can stop this cycle, Bello argues, is through a fundamental change in the ways that we organise: a shift to cooperative enterprise, respectful of the environment, and which fractures the twin legacies of imperialism and capitalism. Insightful, erudite and passionate, Paper Dragons is a must-read for anyone wishing to prevent the next financial meltdown.

Emerging relatively unscathed from the banking crisis of 2008, China has been viewed as a model of both rampant success and fiscal stability. But beneath the surface lies a network of fissures that look likely to erupt into the next big financial crash. A bloated real-estate sector, roller-coaster stock market, and rapidly growing shadow-banking sector have all coalesced to create a perfect storm: one that is in danger of taking the rest of the world’s economy with it. Walden Bello traces our recent history of financial crises – from the bursting of Japan’s ‘bubble economy’ in 1990 to Wall Street in 2008 – taking in their political and human ramifications such as rising inequality and environmental degradation. He not only predicts that China might be the site of the next crash, but that under neoliberalism this will simply keep happening. The only way that we can stop this cycle, Bello argues, is through a fundamental change in the ways that we organise: a shift to cooperative enterprise, respectful of the environment, and which fractures the twin legacies of imperialism and capitalism. Insightful, erudite and passionate, Paper Dragons is a must-read for anyone wishing to prevent the next financial meltdown.

The far right is on the rise. The rhetoric of anger and resentment is emanating from personalities like Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen, Rodrigo Duterte and Viktor Orban and is captivating and mobilizing large numbers of people. In an increasing number of countries, the extreme right has already captured the government or is on the threshold of power. While this swift turn of events has shocked or surprised many in the North, the extreme right's seizure of power is not an uncommon event in the South. In Counterrevolution, Walden Bello deconstructs the challenge from the far right by deploying what he calls the dialectic of revolution and counterrevolution and harnesses the methods of comparative history and comparative sociology. Using case studies from Italy in the 1920s, Indonesia in the 1960s, Chile in the 1970s and contemporary Thailand, India and the Philippines, Bello lays bare the origins, dynamics and consequences of counterrevolutionary movements. Reflections on the rise of the right in the United States, Europe and Brazil round out this remarkable and timely study by one of the premier intellectuals of the South.

This compact, insightful book offers an up-to-the-minute guide to understanding the evolution of maritime territorial disputes in East Asia, exploring their legal, political-security and economic dimensions against the backdrop of a brewing Sino-American rivalry for hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region. It traces the decades-long evolution of Sino-American relations in Asia, and how this pivotal relationship has been central to prosperity and stability in one of the most dynamics regions of the world. It also looks at how middle powers – from Japan and Australia to India and South Korea – have joined the fray, trying to shape the trajectory of the territorial disputes in the Western Pacific, which can, in turn, alter the future of Asia – and ignite an international war that could re-configure the global order. The book examines how the maritime disputes have become a litmus test of China’s rise, whether it has and will be peaceful or not, and how smaller powers such as Vietnam and the Philippines have been resisting Beijing’s territorial ambitions. Drawing on extensive discussions and interviews with experts and policy-makers across the Asia-Pacific region, the book highlights the growing geopolitical significance of the East and South China Sea disputes to the future of Asia – providing insights into how the so-called Pacific century will shape up.

Mellan 2006 och 2008 skenade priserna på den globala livsmedelsmarknaden. Följden blev en allvarlig situation i utvecklingsländerna, där stora befolkningsgrupper drabbades av akut hungersnöd, samtidigt som politiska oroligheter uppstod på en rad håll. I Matkrigen granskar den filippinske forskaren och aktivisten Walden Bello hur den globala livsmedelsförsörjningen har påverkats av det kapitalistiska industrijordbrukets utbredning. Utifrån exempel från Afrika, Asien och Latinamerika visar Bello hur det rådande frihandelssystemet har misslyckats med att skapa de utlovade effekterna i form av bättre tillgänglighet och lägre priser. Istället har systemet ensidigt gynnat de stora jordbruksbolagen, samtidigt som den lokala och hållbara livsmedelsproduktionen i det globala Syd har slagits ut. För att komma till rätta med denna förödande och farliga situation krävs ett grundläggande paradigmskifte som sätter de mänskliga och miljömässiga behoven framför vinstintresset. Walden Bello är professor i sociologi vid University of the Philippines i Manila och har länge varit en tongivande röst inom den globala rättviserörelsen. För närvarande representerar han partiet Akbayan i det filippinska parlamentet.

Agrofuels were heralded as a key weapon in the fight against climate change, but the deforestation and theft of agricultural land that was essential to farmers in the developing world, suggests that they are doing more harm than good. Francois Houtart argues that the green potential of agrofuels has been hijacked by businesses that put profits above environmental protection. This has led to the absurd situation where an energy source that should be sustainable actually increases human and ecological damage, simply due to the profit-maximising decisions of capitalists rather than a flaw in the concept of agrofuels. Houtart reveals that we need to rethink neoliberalism's relationship to green politics and ask is capitalism compatible with climate change, or do we need to overhaul our economic system in order to save the planet?

Agrofuels were heralded as a key weapon in the fight against climate change, but the deforestation and theft of agricultural land that was essential to farmers in the developing world, suggests that they are doing more harm than good. Francois Houtart argues that the green potential of agrofuels has been hijacked by businesses that put profits above environmental protection. This has led to the absurd situation where an energy source that should be sustainable actually increases human and ecological damage, simply due to the profit-maximising decisions of capitalists rather than a flaw in the concept of agrofuels. Houtart reveals that we need to rethink neoliberalism's relationship to green politics and ask is capitalism compatible with climate change, or do we need to overhaul our economic system in order to save the planet?

Violent protests across the global South, in response to rocketing food prices from 2006 to 2008, highlighted an intrinsic flaw in the modern system of world trade-one that poses a serious threat to regional and international stability. In The Food Wars, Walden Bello traces the evolution of this crisis, examining its eruption in Mexico, Africa, the Philippines and China. Daring in vision and impassioned in tone, The Food Wars speaks out against the obscene imbalance in the most basic commodities between northern and southern hemispheres.

China's global expansion is much talked about, but usually from the viewpoint of the West. This unique collection of essays, written by scholars and activists from China and the global South, provides diverse views on the challenges faced by Africa, Latin America and Asia as a result of China's rise as a significant global economic power. Chinese aid, trade and investments a?? driven by the needs of its own economy a?? present both threats and opportunities for the South, requiring a nuanced analysis that goes beyond simplistic caricatures of 'good' and 'evil.' Arising from a conference held in Shanghai in May 2007, when the African Development Bank was also meeting in the city, this book provides a fresh perspective that focuses on the economic, social and environmental impact of China's expansion. It represents the first attempt to establish a dialogue between civil society in China and the global south. The contributors include Dorothy-Grace Guerrero, Walden Bello, Luk Tak Chuen, Shalmali Guttal, Yu Xiaogang, Ding Pin, Xu Weizhong, Dot Keet, Barry Sautman, Yan Hairong, Lucy Corkin, Ali Askouri, Yuza Maw Htoon, Khin Zaw Win, Alexandre de Freitas Barbosa, Fu Tao and Peter Bosshard.

Filippinerna är ett land av kontraster. Ett kolonialt arv står mot egen identitet, överklassens sanslösa materiella överflöd mot folkflertalets armod, militärt förtryck mot folkligt motstånd. Den filippinska nutidshistorien är skriven i kamp och ur dessa motsättningar har starka revolutionära rörelser skapats. Samtidigt har den filippinska vänstern misslyckas att vinna makten i landet och rörelsen har lidit svårt av inre spänningar och splittringar. 30-31 januari 2007 arrangerade Vänsterns Internationella Forum i samarbete med lokala vänsterrörelser en internationell konferens om »Deltagande Demokrati och Alternativa Former för Folkmakt«. Där samlades nära 400 filippinska deltagare och en lång rad talare från Indonesien, Indien, Nepal, Malaysia, Australien, Vietnam, Venezuela, Spanien och Sverige. Det var första gången som den filippinska vänstern samlades till en gemensam konferens. Denna skrift har ställt samman några av de viktigaste inläggen på konferensen som berättar om Filippinernas historia och frihetskamp, dokument av vikt för att förstå de utmaningar som filippinsk vänster ställs inför.

As we enter the 21st century, many countries of the South are in a state of economic crisis, with once optimistic visions of the future cruelly dashed by rising mass poverty, inequality, and hunger. At the same time, working people in the North find their living standards declining. Dark Victory reveals the roots of these global trends in a sweeping strategy of global economic rollback unleashed by the US to shore up the North's domination of the international economy and reassert corporate control. Bello argues that lower barriers to imports, removal of restrictions on foreign investments, privatization of state-owned activities, reduction in social welfare spending, and wage cuts and devaluation of local currencies-all conditions of structural adjustment loans from the North-have had disastrous consequences. Hailed as a classic study of global poverty, Dark Victory is now reissued with a new epilogue by the authors.

Hunger and malnutrition stalk the countries of the South. Over the last twenty years, as the populations of these countries have increased, so too has mass poverty on a grotesque scale. In this fiercely critical study of Western aid giving, Walden Bello offers a persuasive argument that recolonisation of the Third World has been carried out through the agencies of the International Banks. Bello argues that neoliberalism or doctrinal free-market ideology came to power in the United States with an agenda to ‘discipline the Third World’ and the consequences of such a policy has resulted in lower barriers to imports, the removal of restrictions on foreign investments, privatisation of state owned activities, a reduction in social welfare spending, wage cuts and devaluation of local currencies. Recipients of ‘structural adjustment’ loans from the West, have been forced to accept these polices, with disastrous consequences. Hailed as a classic study of global poverty, Dark Victory is now reissued with a substantial new epilogue by the author.