Your Money or Your Life!

TOWARDS AN ALTERNATIVE/249

during these debates in the North not carry the risk of heightening
the North's protectionism? The question is important. If the answer
is yes, it would mean that social clauses produce the opposite effect of
what is desired by those who see such clauses as a way to improve the
lot of super-exploited workers (who are often child labourers). There
is not enough space to go into all the different arguments. Above all,
there has to be an honest debate between the social movements in the
North and South (Horman, 1996 and 1997). A key point in this
debate would be the indirect control over production wielded by the
big marketing and distribution firms and the big network companies
(such as Nike, Reebok, Adidas and Benetton). These multinationals
have found a perfect way to sidestep their legal obligations in the area
of labour rights and working conditions (Petrella, 1995).

Protectionism in the South, Partial De-Linking and
South-South Trade

It is quite natural that the countries of the periphery should want to
satisfy the priority needs of their citizens and, to this end, pursue a
policy of strong economic growth (especially in industry) and protect
themselves from the world market - from the North in particular. The
overwhelming majority of modern nations have applied strict pro­
tectionist measures at key moments in their history. They have done
so to lay the groundwork for and accelerate economic growth. A few
examples are Britain, the US, Japan and, until early 1998, South
Korea. Partial de-linking from the world market is, therefore, entirely
legitimate. In the face of the breakneck speed with which interna­
tional deregulation has taken place over the last 20 years, debate on
this question has been put on the backburner. It must return to
centre-stage.

Trade and complementarity also have to be developed between the
countries of the South themselves. Put simply, these countries must
seek to organise forms of coexistence between their differentiated
zones in such a way as to avoid marginalisation and outright
exclusion. This means setting up a system of 'gateways and sluices'

• in short, regulations or a form of protectionism - so that small
  peasants in the South are not forced overnight into stiff competition
  with ultra-competitive agrobusiness multinationals in the North
  (who are usually subsidised to boot). This protectionism must be
  pursued as a method for organising the different zones of the world