Rule of the Few

by Eduardo Galeano

The Progressive magazine, August 2001

The iron curtain fell l as if made of meringue, and the nightmare of military dictatorships has passed __~ for most countries. So, do we live in a democratic world now? Is this century ushering in the new era of democracy without borders? A luminous panorama whose few dark clouds prove the brightness of the sky?

From the political speeches of our day, you would think so, but speeches pay little attention to dictionaries, which in every language give the meaning of the word "democracy" as "government of the people." The reality of our world seems more like a global powerocracy.

Democracy is a statistical error, Jorge Luis Borges used to say, because in democracy the majority decides and the majority is made up of imbeciles. To avoid this error, the world of today restricts decision-making to the few, the very few, who are deemed deserving.

In the epoch of the democratic splendor of Athens, one out of every ten people had a citizen's rights. The other nine had none. Twenty-five centuries later, it is clear that the Greeks went overboard with civic generosity.

Every day sees further shrinkage of the already limited maneuvering room of local politicians. And the people look on at the decisions taken in their name by governments ruled by global institutions.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is made up of 183 countries. Of these, 178 just sit on the sidelines. The IMF-which dictates orders to the entire world deciding on everthing from the fate of humans, the height of clouds, to the itineraries of flies-is in the hands of the five countries that hold 40 percent of the votes: the United States, Japan, Germany, France, and Great Britain. The votes are assigned according to the amount of capital: The more you have the more you can do. Twenty-three African countries make up 1 percent; the U.S. 17 percent. This is equal rights in practice.

The World Bank, twin brother of the IMF, is more democratic. Seven rather than five countries make the decisions there. Of the 183 members of the World Bank, 176 obey the orders issued by the other seven who control 45 percent of the bank's actions: the U.S., Germany, Japan, Great Britain, France, Italy, and Canada.

In the United Nations, a sort of great family that brings us all together, the U.S. shares veto power with Great Britain, France, Russia, and China, the five major arms manufacturers that - thanks be to God - keep watch over the global peace. When things get rough, these five countries call the shots in the highest international institution. The others are allowed to make recommendations- a prerogative that is denied to no one.

Some rights are granted never to be used. In the World Trade Organization, all countries have an equal right to vote. A majority vote is possible but has never been used in the WTO and was very rare in its predecessor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), according to its web site. WTO policy is made by "consensus" behind closed doors, after the strong nations have bullied the weaker ones into submission, which, if I remember correctly, was the same system of decision-making used by Stalin to avoid the scandal of dissidence.

And so the WTO conducts in secret, with impunity, the sacrifice of hundreds of millions of small farmers throughout the world on the altar of free trade. But it is not so secret, and it cannot act with such complete impunity, any more. No one really knew what the WTO was until 50,000 disobedient individuals took to the streets of Seattle in late 1999 and exposed one of the kings of the global monarchy to world opinion.

The establishment called the protesters of Seattle enemies of progress, madmen, and prehistoric deviants. The same was true in Washington, Prague, Davos, and Quebec City, and the same will be true at the G-8 summit in Genoa from July 20 to 22. It can't be for nothing.

Eduardo Galeano is an Uruguayan journalist and author of "Memory of Fire" and "The Open Veins of Latin America." Reprinted with permission from IPS Columnist Service.

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