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Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam An Alliance for Comprehensive Democracy

Vijay Pratap, Ritu Priya and Thomas Wallgren2004

Published by Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, 2004Contents:Foreword by Satu HassiPreface by Kishen PattnayakVijay Pratap and Ritu Priya:Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: From emo!ra!y to"ampoorn "#arajPursuin the !emocratic !ream"he Social #osts of $lobalisation"he !emocratic % enda!irections of Search&imitations of 'orth(South #ivil Society !ialo uesPro)osals for #oncrete %ction

Thomas Wallgren: "tatement o$ Purpose $or Vasudhaiva KutumbakamFinland!ia nosis of the "imes* Politics in the #onte+t of #ulture"he #risis of #entre(left Politics"he ay -ut* !ee)enin and .roadenin the % enda-vercomin the %merican !ream* Some 'otes on the ork %head%cknowled ements

Fore#ord#urrently )eo)le all around the world are in a search for alternatives to the one(way lobalisation that hasincreased the drift between the ma/ority of the humankind and a narrow elite 1ore and more )eo)le see

that the unre ulated market forces will lead to increasin e+)loitation of the environment, widenin a)between the rich and the )oor and concentration of )ower and wealth in the hands of few"he Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam conce)t, as )resented by the two articles in this booklet, )resents analternative world(view where democratic relations amon the )eo)le in all s)heres of life is in the centre of the society t is attractive not only because it res)onds to the ur e for /ust and humane values, but alsobecause of the )ra matic a enda it sets for en a ement "he Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam conce)t )rovides avision, which can inform and uide action in social work, economic affairs, )olitical )artici)ation, culturalen a ement and more

am committed to )ursue the ideas of the Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and ho)e more and more )eo)le willfeel like /oinin the family of those who see world as one, and to whom the whole world is )art of a family"atu %assi Chairperson !emocracy Forum Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Finland

Pre$a!e"he Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam stands for another kind of lobalisation, one that is )ermeated by all(rounddemocracy %s write this small note a few weeks before the 2004 orld Social Forum am ri))ed bythe 3uestion if the SF so far has contributed efficiently to sha)in the conce)tual and a itational tools toresist the e+istin lobalisation that has weakened the whatsoever roots of democracy that had beennurtured in the )ast centuries$lobalisation weakens democracy by destroyin the cultural(economic viability of the autonomouscommunities at the base n South %sian countries rural communities as well as the national communityhad an autonomous e+istence economically and culturally %t the national level it is called soverei nty5 tis on the basis of these autonomous communities that democracy could be structured in one country or

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re ion, even if other countries remained non( democratic %utonomy creates a miniscule universe in whichthe individual ets the sense of bein a )rime mover of that universe, whereas in a lar er universe he orshe may et lost not knowin how to assert"echnolo y determines economic )olicy %s the technolo ies become very 6hi h7 the resources andactivities come under international control not even national control5 "he individual, unless he or she is amember or the lobal elite, is reduced to the status of a receiver, a consumer, de)endin on )urchasin)ower1arket lobalisation has been made )ossible with the hel) of technolo ies that con3uer distance andre3uire un)recedented lar e investment that develo)in nations cannot afford even in terms of loans "hishas made rassroots autonomy and national soverei nty redundant from the economic )oint of view"he role of technolo y in de)rivin )oorer countries of their control over the economy is hardly debatedamon centre(left intellectuals t is not realised at all that the cam)ai n a ainst economic im)erialism)resu))oses a technolo ical revolution "his is also the dilemma that cri))les those who come to )ower inSouth %merican countries after defeatin the 8nited States su))orted re imes "hey won7t be able tobasically chan e the economic )olicies of the earlier re imes, like heavy de)endence on e+)orts,continuin the state of indebtedness, destroyin the %ma9on for e+)andin soya been farms, and )ursuinthe oal of unlimited rowthKishen Pattnayak Senior ideolo ue of socialist movement, ndia

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam:From emo!ra!y to "ampoorn "#araj

Vi/ay Prata) and :itu Priya

Pursuing the emo!rati! reamPeo)le in South %sia have lon cherished values which, in modern times, are best e+)ressed under therubric of 6universalism7 and various dimensions of 6democracy7 .efore the colonial interventions of the

est, the distinctive features of our socio()olitical system were cultural )lurality, devolution of )olitical)ower at all levels and the )artici)atory mode of overnance from the rassroots to the to)

e had our own failin s, such as the obno+ious )ractice of untouchability, or the fact that communitarian)rinci)les manifested throu h the caste system de enerated into hierarchical fundamentalism .ut des)iteall kinds of failin s, the sense of 6Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam 7 a Sanskrit conce)t, meanin 6"he orld is aFamily75 has been )art of our cultural sensibility since time immemorial "hat is why our socio(culturaldiversity is a source of stren th and in fact the )rimary definin force behind our unbroken identity "herehave, of course, been brief )hases of ideolo ical or identity )olarisations .ut soon after, the )luralist)ers)ective )revails "he basic )remise of this world(view is that no sect, reli ion, ideolo ical rou), class,socio()olitical formation, the state or 6church7 can claim a mono)oly of the truth %ll truths have to startwith the small letter 6t7 and, de)endin u)on the vanta e )oint, they are able to ca)ture only someas)ects of the "ruth and not the "ruth as a whole "his forms the basis for a democratic society#onventionally, democracy is taken to be a )olitical system based on the se)aration of /udiciary, e+ecutiveand le islature n this system the le itimacy of overnance is derived from the electoral )rocess and theri ht to vote Such a narrow definition reduces democracy merely into a )olitical instrumentHowever, the last century has witnessed a series of transformations "hey have enerated an e+)losion ofhuman ener ies never known before, devoted to redefinin human life "he )ra+is of 6new7 social

movements embodies a much dee)er and com)rehensive meanin of democracy than what is understoodand )ractised in the mainstream )olitical discourse 'ever before in the history of humankind have such alar e )ro)ortion of human bein s worked for swara/ 6Swa7(6ra/7; self < rule, a term commonly used by$andhi and the $andhi(ins)ired movements in ndia 5Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is an idea as)irin to redefine democracy from a mode of overnance to a wayof life f democracy informs all levels and dimensions of life, this )ers)ective of com)rehensive democracycan be called sam)oorn swara/ full realisation of self(rule5"he idea of 6self(rule7 oes much beyond the )olitical t encom)asses life itself in a com)rehensivemanner that makes our lives more meanin ful Swara/ relates to all dimensions of human life and a))liesto relationshi)s at all levels, from the individual to the lobal*

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= the relationshi) between nature and human bein s,2 the dynamic of 6the individual7 and 6the community7,> the dynamic inter(relationshi) of 6the self7 and 6the other7,4 the relationshi) of individuals and various ty)es and levels of collectivities with overnance

structures and? the relationshi) of individuals and collectivities with the market

"he strivin for democracy within these relationshi)s can be res)ectively termed ecological democracy,social democracy, cultural democracy, political democracy and economic democracy. "here is a com)rehensive democratic revolution in the makin * humankind is strivin to redefine all thebasic relationshi)s of human life 'o sin le ideolo y or re ion can be identified as the van uard in termsof strivin for the above five dimensions of democracy simultaneously

ssues of self(rule, related to the dynamic of nature ( human bein , have iven rise to reen )arties,rou)s, movements and intellectuals all over the world "hese reen movements are increasin ra)idly

even in those )arts of the world where, accordin to the conventional develo)ment indices, standards ofmaterial life are very hi h n the societies of material affluence there is an attem)t to recover the 6 reenconsciousness7 and to address the challen es of ecolo ical de radation n the most of the countriesmovement rou)s are en a ed in defensive action of savin the livelihood su))ort systems, alon withrevitalisin of ecolo ical and cultural sensibility Since these ener ies aim at reater )artici)ation of localcommunities in resolvin the nature(human dynamic, we could call this the a e of strivin for e!ologi!al

demo!ra!y& Similarly, there is )henomenal human ener y on this earth tryin to redefine the individual(communitydynamic ssues of di nity are on the central a enda of many rou)s for human ri hts, ender, anti(casteand anti(a)artheid "here is almost a lobal churnin for redefinin social relationshi)s, what we couldterm as social democracy "he res)onse to the #onference a ainst :acism in !urban is an indicator of therevolutionary ener ies we are talkin about "he women7s movement has now a ender )ers)ective on allissues, it is no lon er /ust a women7s ri hts movement From this stand)oint this is an a e of strivin s forso!ial demo!ra!y&

f we analyse the dynamic of the self and the other and systems of meanin , an entire set of issuesemer e under the broad rubric called 6culture7 "he human activity on this front is also of anun)recedented kind "here has been an e+)losion of new ideas and ideolo ical confrontations, both violentand non(violent "he varied strivin s of a !ultural demo!ra!y are many* criti3ues of the culture ofindustrialised societies and modernity, the attem)ts at revitalisin indi enous knowled e systems,

em)hasisin the im)ortance of the )lurality of ideas and ways of life, and loosenin the controls oforthodo+y are all )art of it%fter the ma/ority of the states were liberated from colonial rule, they ac3uired reater control over theireconomies Standard of livin started risin , even thou h very slowly for some 'ow, indi enous )eo)leswith natural resource(based economies, and small and mar inal farmers are in search for di nified ways of earnin their livelihood "his is done throu h two ways of search and strivin * first is to emulate and evenblindly imitate5 the rich and )ros)erous 'orth, the other is to recover the control over natural resources aswell as knowled e systems in a riculture, medicine, food, water mana ement and so on .oth re)resentthe )ervasive desire for an e!onomi! demo!ra!y& "he anti(colonial stru les in the ma/ority of the nations have constructed new )olitical identities % desirefor self(rule is )ervasive "he )eo)le are re(e+aminin and redefinin the trans)lanted colonialinstruments Sometimes there is re ression as the firmly established elite im)oses some form ofauthoritarianism Fortunately )artici)ation of )eo)le in the )olitical institutions has ac3uired a tremendousle itimacy "his e+)lains why many dictators have had to undertake a le itimatisation e+ercise throu hsome form of election, how so ever )artial or im)erfect 5 "his constitutes politi!al demo!ra!y&"he im)erative of democratic revolution re3uires that we reco nise and relate to the )ositive dimension ofall these ener ies and contribute in formin them into a definable world(view and a dream for the future"his is our vision of a universal humanistic lobalisation

The "o!ial Costs o$ 'lobalisationHowever, what we witness todayis the culmination of e+actly the o))osite* a he emonic lobalisation thatcan only be viewed as a satanic force

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n South %sia the social costs of economic lobalisation and the neo(liberal )olicies related to it havealready been very hi h ( and could become still worse "he achievements of four decades of a democratic)olity, however limited, are bein reversed :a)idly declinin mortality rates have become sta nant oreven reversed in some sub()o)ulations n ndia the !alits e+(untouchable castes5, the landless or near(landless a ricultural labourers and the %divasis the indi enous )eo)les of ndia5 will be the worst hit %tthe same time the land(ownin farmers have also suffered@ ndian farmers are more indebted than everbefore n 'e)al the le islative measures, which formed the basis of the country7s successful communityforest )ro rammes, are bein rev ersed because of the )ressures from the orld .ank.esides this economic reversal, the )rocess of economic lobalisation has created new serious challen esfor the democratic decision(makin )rocesses in every )art of the world "he transfer of decision(makin)ower into the hands of transnational institutions like the orld "rade -r anisation "-5, the

nternational 1onetary Fund 1F5 and the orld .ank has severely reduced the soverei nty of thenational overnments t has resulted in a very serious drift, underminin the whole )arty )olitical system,es)ecially the accountability of the overnments to their own )eo)le %s shown by Franck %malrick7sstudy*

A nfluencin national institutions and )olicies becomes o)enly one ob/ective of develo)ment co(o)eration)olicies BCD "he orld .ank and 1F intervene at the national level under the banners of 6soundmacroeconomic )olicies 7 and 6 ood overnance7 E technical banners that fit well the technical nature ofthese or ani9ations, while bilateral donors intervene under the banners of 6democracy7 and 6)artnershi)7

Heads in the Sand* % track record lobal res)onsibility, 200=5n the )resent situation it does not really matter so much what kind of )arty or coalition of )arties hasbeen in )ower n ndia, subse3uent overnment coalitions have been forced to continue im)lementinrou hly similar neo(liberal )olicies "hese )olicies include )rivatisation, the liberalisation of trade andinvestment )olicies and the reduction of subsidies-ne finds the same defeat of democratic dreams in Finland Since the 'ordic countries undertook thetransition from )easant )re(modern to industrial modern societies, they develo)ed social security systemsto smoo then the )rocess t ke)t the 6satanic7 features of industrial society in check at least within there ion 'o monstrous dis)arities were allowed to cree) in* mar inalisation and hardshi)s were sou ht tobe ke)t in check by hi h ta+ation and a sound welfare state "he decision(makin and overnance wasreasonably )artici)atory and trans)arent 'ow, with the new structures created by G8, new laws are)ro)osed by a small rou) of )eo)le 'ational )arliaments endorse them without ade3uate debate ors)ace for listenin to voices of disa reement

"his has amounted to a crisis in democratic decision(makin because in most countries the neo(liberalreforms have been im)lemented a ainst the will of the ma/ority of the voters"he crisis of democracy has been a ravated, in a very im)ortant way, by the )roblem of corru)tion#orru)tion has increased eometrically durin the last decade and there has been at least a ten(fold risein the = 0s For instance, the )rivatisation of )ublic(owned com)anies and )ublic services, and the entryof the transnational cor)oratio ns to the national markets, have created am)le o))ortunities for corru)tionand misuse of )ublic offices f the 'orthe rn counter)arts in civil society insulate us from the 'orth(drivencorru)tion, we in the South will be able to fi ht both corru)tion and communalism domestically #orru)tionwas a ma/or )roblem in South %sia even before the )resent era of lobalisation, but deterioration of themoral and ethical basis of )olitical life has )roceeded very fast after itHow can all these )roblems be addressedI How can the )ositive ener ies be syner ised to sha)e ahumanist(universalistic lobalisation for an effective democratisation of human society at all levelsI %lle)ochal transformative moments in history are )re nant with both )ossibilities E a new dawn or an era ofdarkness hat are the forces of darkness at this /unctureI$lobally, an elusive 6consumer )aradise7 is bein )romised throu h the electronic media and now throu hthe internet "hose are bein financed by interested stakeholders without any consideration for issues ofeconomic e3uity, ecolo i cal sensitivity, cultural )lurality or di nity of the o))ressed %ll over the lobe onefinds a kind of mad rush for this consumer )aradise Values of austerity, lar er ood and ri hts of thefuture enerations over our natural and other resources are considered outdated, as well as kee)in theinterests and )ers)ectives of o))ressed communities in mind while simultaneously assertin individualautonomy "his is resultin in fra mentation and )olarisation of human collectivities G+treme individuationand atomisation is resultin in a backlash of identity assertion "his backlash is to be clearly distin uished

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from the enuine e+)ressions of autonomy, cultural self(definition, issues of ethnic identity or socialdi nitySocio()olitical forces, whose world(views and dreams are anchored in a falsified view of history, arebecomin victims of the )revailin social )atholo y of a 6mad(race syndrome7 $lobally, the most im)ortantchallen e of our times is to res)ond to this threat from various kinds of fundamentalism %s mentionedearlier, e+)ansion and dee)enin of democracy with a com)rehensive view is the only antidote a ainst allkinds of fundamentalism@ democracy viewed as a )er)etual )rocess of mediation between diverse humantendencies and needs

The emo!rati! (gendan a )hase of )henomenal u)sur e of democratic as)irations, new norms have to be a reed u)on at

various levels of human collectivities "hat has to be done throu h a )rocess of )artici)atory dialo ue,even with the o))onents &et us say, two nei hbourin 'ation States who are at lo erheads with eachother, or two ideolo ical adversaries in a sin le 'ation State, or between and within communities andfamilies 5 -ne has to reco nise the com)lementarity of each other7s 6truth7 and consciously avoid bein

/ud mental re ardin the other7s view)oint "he critical evaluation of other view)oints has to be in anidiom that encoura es mode ration

n discussions that have taken )lace in various national and international forums, )eo)le have started todevelo) ideas about buildin a lobal network of individuals and or anisations sharin similar values and

oals Such an initiative could also be seen as an effort to en a e the international civil society in

or anisin lobal or re ional dialo ue )rocesses about a number of issues that are of crucial im)ortance atthis /uncture"he five basic dimensions of human life discussed above could form the thematic )ers)ective for aninternational network on democracy %s 1r 1 P Parameswaran, a leadin ideolo ue of the %ll ndiaPeo)le7s Science 'etwork, has )ut it*

AStren thenin of all the five ty)es of democracies at home in ndia, in the states, and in the )anchayatsBlocal councilsD, is im)ortant "his is a real concrete task G3ually im)ortant is the task of disillusionment*that )ro ress is not what the ca)italists or even the 1ar+ists have been tellin us nternational solidarityis im)ortant t ives us moral su))ort .ut there is somethin more im)ortant feel that we cannot savehumanity without savin 6the est7, es)ecially the %mericans, from their follies* without makin themrealise that their way of life is unsustainable and unenviable "here are a very lar e number of rou)s inthe 8S% who share this view % )ro/ect E a )ro ramme ( to weld all these rou)s into a sin le force will beuseful and even necessary for us and the rest of the world #an we think of a concrete )lan of action forthisI have been feelin the necessity of such action since 3uite many years

t is, admittedly, somewhat uncomfortable to discuss democracy E which, as a )rocess of constructive self(en a eme nt of humanity, should be indivisible E in such small bits and shreds However, if the com)le+ityof democracy is a))roached throu h the five dimensions mentioned above, this should brin forward awider and richer s)ectrum of )roblems and )ossibilities -ne )ossible articulation of these dimensions asthematic )ers)ectives is su ested belowi) *mpo#erment o$ the aridranarayan, the + ast Person- .*!onomi! emo!ra!y): %ll the

reatest teachers of humankind includin $andhi, 1uhammad, #hrist and the .uddha, have em)hasisedthe im)ortance of em)owerment of the weakest and the )oorest of society 1any )eo)le )robably considersuch a conce)t either )atronisin , elitist or naJve !es)ite that, )erha)s the most im)ortant sin le test forany kind of democracy is whether it works so that it can )rotect the needs and ri hts of the )oorest, mosto))ressed and least influential )eo)le in the society hat this means in each society and in each

historical )eriod will differ, because )overty and de)rivation will be created and re enerated over and overa ain throu h widely varied means .ut the issue or oal is clear and remains the same -ne of the main)roblems is how to relate to the needs and concerns of the !aridranarayan in a way that is em)owerinand not )atronisin

ith the Daridranarayan at the centre of all thinkin , all issues concernin transactions of oods andservices, technolo ical choices and mode and relations of )roduction have always been )art of humanen a ement %ll such issues can be considered as the economic dimension of democracy, called 6economicdemocracy7 for convenie nceii) *!ologi!al Regeneration and People-s Control over /atural Resour!es .*!ologi!al

emo!ra!y): Gnvironmental de radation ( )ollution of air, water and soil, loss of s)ecies and bio(

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diversity, destruction of the o9one layer, destabilisation of the climate, loss of tree and ve etative cover,soil erosion and desertification ( is one of the most serious issues of our times t should be a hi h )riorityfor the movement However, the discourse of the est and amon the westernised or anisations in theSouth is often very alienatin for the ma/ority of the rural5 )eo)le "his discourse may result in)ro rammes and measures neither understood nor owned by them n the lon run, such )ro rammes canbackfire % better a))roach is to concentrate on )eo)le7s control over natural resources, and inte rate thevarious environmental and conservational concerns in such an a))roach Human kind7s relationshi) withnature as a consumer, controller, nurturer, destroyer or as a small com)onent of nature are all issues to bedealt with under the rubric of ecolo ical democracyiii) *nsuring %uman ignity ."o!ial emo!ra!y): "here is no doubt that the neo(liberal economic)olicies and other measures )ursued by the 6new ri ht7 will be causin e+treme )overty on a scale thatcould be unsur)assed in human history n many cases the )roblems should be seen in the framework ofem)owerin the !aridranaryan and as issues of acute economic survival However, in most insta nces,issues like unem)loyment or underem)loyment, tem)orary em)loyment, workers7 ri hts and the meaninand nature of the available workin o))ortunities are issues of human di nity across the lobe Gven incases where the crumbs fallin from the table of the neo(liberals are more than enou h to satisfy thebasic material needs of the )eo)le, human di nity is sacrificed in a most harmful way "he he emonic neo(liberal )olicies create identities of reed, )romote consumerism and materialism and )revent )eo)le frommakin ood moral choices and )ursuin their s)irituality "hey sacrifice human di nity for )rofit

"he stru le for di nity and social e3uity has to be the )rinci)le issue amon !alits "his way they are welle3ui))ed to contribute from their )ers)ective and e+)erience in the stru le a ainst satanic lobalisationt is the actual situation amon !alits that forced lar e number of ideolo ues, includin .abasahib

%mbedkar, to em)hasise the im)ortance of a caste annihilation movement in ndia n the rest of South%sia, due to the )eculiar local situation, it is not even bein reco nised as an im)ortant source ofine3uity5 n the )ast two decades there has been re ression of the u))er caste from their earlieracce)tance of em)owerment of the e+(untouchable castes %lso, increasin voice of women in the socials)here is bein accom)anied by new forms of )erversions and violence a ainst them, manifested e bythe declinin se+ ratio of 0( year olds in ndia "hese issues have to be viewed with their wider linka esunder the rubric of social democracyiv) "trengthening Plural Co0e1isten!e .Cultural emo!ra!y): "he issue of )lural coe+istence ( andof the )revention of communal or racial5 violence ( has a )rofound si nificance for every )art of the worldat the be innin of this millennium hen the world7s economic and cultural crises dee)en, the threat of

communal violence increases n areas sufferin from acute environmental de radation, the undermininof the natural resource base can a ravate such )roblems

n South %sia there is a livin tradition of )eaceful co(livin of various ethnic and reli ious rou)s and ofsects within reli ions "his tradition is under reat strain and needs to be revitalised in the )resentconte+t % /udicial )ronounceme nt in .an ladesh in Lanuary 200= bannin fatwa reli ious edicts5 is anauthentic illustration of cultural democracy %mon the Hindus, vestin of ade3uate di nity to the folk)ractices not conformin to .rahmanical scri)tural norms should be a )riority item% cam)ai n for cultural democracy should also be a mobilisin act a ainst attem)ts to distort history inalmost all countries of the world, includin those in Guro)e and %merica n Guro)e the 1uslims are bein)ro/ected as a fundamentalist or non()luralist se ment of the society "he increasin )olarisation betweenthe slamic countries and the est the Guro)ean 8nion and the 8nited States of %merica5 has beendee)ened by instances like the $ulf ar in = 0, which created anti( est feelin s throu hout the 6 slamicworld7 "he Guro)ean inte ration ( all the old colonial )owers bein fused to one new su)er()ower ( isworsenin the situation because it is considered as the )otential and )owerful adversarial su)ra state bythe slamic states "he conflict will be further a ravated if the Guro)ean 8nion becomes a real FederalState and if it develo)s a /oint defence )olicy and a /oint army n that case all the G8 member states,includin the 'ordic countries, will become inte ral )arts of a ma/or military su)er()ower with a lar earsenal of nuclear wea)onsPlural coe+istence, however, should not be viewed from a ne ative view)oint, throu h only the scenariosof conflict that need to be )revented t should be seen as richness, where new thin s are bein createdand recreated ontinuously throu h the interaction of differences %ll of human history has develo)edthrou h cultural interaction, diffusion and ada)tation !iversity in ways of life )rovides com)lementary

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ways of fulfillin the need for e+)ression of diverse human tendencies in any society, and therefore mustbe nurturedv) /urturing and eepening o$ emo!ra!y .Politi!al emo!ra!y): Political democracy, if notconstantly cared for and defended, can be reatly undermined %ll the )ossible checks that can be builta ainst the un(democratisin thrust of social systems can only be effective if the )eo)le actively uarddemocratic structures and norms !emocracy ( defined in terms like )artici)ation, re)resentation and ruleof law, )rotection of cultural, lin uistic, reli ious and )olitical minorities and trans)arency of )oliticaldecision(makin ( is to be nurtured and dee)ened However, at )resent only one model of such democratic)rocesses is bein ado)ted by all the countries with different cultures, institutions and traditions* thewestern liberal or market democracy, whose s)ecificities have evolved in a small cultural(historical 9one ofthe lobeSo far, the most im)ortant institutional framework for ne otiatin a society incor)oratin universalistic(humanistic values is )olitical democracy, based on a multi()arty system, adult franchise and se)aration of)owers of e+ecutive, /udiciary and le islature Gven this comes under threat when other forms ofdemocracy are not realised "he )rinci)le of subsidiarity of )ower, i e allowin the )eo)le to e+ercise self(rule at the rass(root level, is crucial to ensure )artici) atory democracy !istrict, )rovincial and national)olitical )ower should not be treated as hi her levels of )ower but different s)heres of )ower"he bi wave of indi enisation and anti(westernisation ( which is )art e+)lanation for the slamic:esur ence, the rowth of the Hindutva(movements and the economic and cultural rise of #hina ( cannot

be wished away li htly f issues like democracy, human ri hts or women7s ri hts et labelled as Awesternvalues by various o))ressive forces in the South, there is a real dan er that these values will be seriouslyundermined durin the first century of the new millennium

ire!tions o$ "ear!hn the bottom(u) view of )artici)atory democracy where institutions, ideas and ideolo ies are worked out

by the )eo)le themselves, there is a contradiction in terms to su est institutions of overnance henthe reci)ients of the :i ht &ivelihood %ward met in Sal9bur in = , issues of "- came u) "he solutionsu ested was not an alternative "-, but basically a )lea to )ause and undertake intros)ectionseriously t was su ested that the o)eration of the "- should be sus)ended for five years, a #iti9en7s#ommission should be a))ointed to o into the various kinds of dama es it has inflicted over humankind,and civil society dialo ues should be or anised all over the lobe, es)ecially amon the affectedcommunities

nstead of ivin a to)(down solution, we would like to en a e with the followin 3uestions with re ard tothe )otential and direction the )resent flu+ will take "he main issues for a democratic basictransformation of society involve a5 faith, b5 ho)e and c5 the methodsFaith: :e ardin faith in fellow human bein s, the widely shared view amon the community of activistswe belon to, is that selfishness and reed are only one )art of the human /ourney and not thedominatin , definin characteristic of human life ants can be fulfilled, and even indul ed in, withoutbein lorified

e insist that it is very de radin to define human bein s as entities with material wants only "hey havemoral, s)iritual and cultural orientations as well #ommentin on an earlier draft of the VasudhaivaKutumbakam statement Professor . K :oy .urman, a leadin ndian anthro)olo ist, said the followin *M1y understandin of anthro)olo y im)els me to acce)t the basically social nature of human bein s B D!emocracy is the other name of )ractice of com)anionate value oriented culture t is a )rocess in non(sto) dialectical relationshi) with antinomous culture #ommitment to res)onsible democracy is

commitment to the )rocessual dimension and not to any )re(fabricated structure%ope: "he task of buildin true democracy is now firmly linked with the lobal stru le to reform ortransform ca)italism without a readymade version of socialism t is a new )ro/ect However, it is based on)erennial values of com)assion, /ustice, e3uality and freedom t is based on understandin the s)iral andweb of life and to nurturin life in its most holistic sense in the contem)orary conte+t "here has to beho)e for such a creative endeav our2ethod: "he method for democratic stru les has three as)ects -ne is 6dialo ue7, basically to reco nisethe contours of the )resent times "hrou h dialo ues we not only reco nise our times but also understandthe callin of our times !ialo ue at all levels, includin with the adversary, is )ossible only if we do notbelieve in the cons)iracy theory and believe in the willin ness of the human s)irit for stru le and self(

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sacrifice a ainst in/ustice However, ras)in the essence of the times will be incom)lete if we do notsimultaneously fi ht the in/ustice For this, the second com)onent is 6non(violent civil disobedience7 "hethird com)onent of the method is 6constructive a ction7 to create structures, activities and life styles inconsonance with the vision of a democratic society

imitations o$ /orth0"outh Civil "o!iety ialoguesFor a variety of )olitical and historical reasons, internationally funded '$-s have less )o)ular a))eal andle itimacy in our society than the non(funded N non(structured movement rou)s #ivil society rou)sworkin amon !alits of ndia are under such )ressures to work for issues of local o))ression, )ro)erim)lementati on of the )olicy of )ositive affirmation, land reforms, )li ht of the a ricultural workers andissues of !alit atrocities etc 5 that they hardly et to link these )ressin issues of identity and di nity withthe lar er issues of lobalisation "he diversity of ndian civil society makes it im)erative that the anti(

lobalisation )ers)ective and stru le can flower only when there is a linkin u) of various social rou)sinto a holistic democratic stru le at all levels, includin the rass(root and national levels'orthern civil society has to work out institutional mechanisms to relate to the less lobalised sections ofour society n the early ei hties, )easant movement ideolo ues like Sunil Sahastrabudhey used toem)hasise a distinction between ndia and .harat .harat refers to that section of ndian )o)ulation whichis either less colonised or structural could not access the lobal modern knowled e systems and networks"here is )lenty of literature that clearly demonstrates that )eo)le in .harat have not com)letely lost theirtouch yet and they lead a more wholesome life than those of us who are victims of the mad(race

syndromee are tryin to convey two issues* first, in the bottom(u) view of democracy, we need to learn the

s)ecificity and uni3ueness of each entity and at every level Second, we must not undermine theautonomy of each entity and should not mi+(u) the levels .ut in an era of lobalisation, where we allneed to unite to deal with the satanic dimensions of lobalisation, we need to know each otherem)athetically Knowin oneself is a very difficult task and knowin the 6other7 is yet more difficult .ut towork out concretely the ideas of lobal solidarity we need to hel) each other to know ourselves withoutunderminin our autonomies

t is instructive to remember $andhi/i7s advice that he ave to a rou) of #hristian workers from 8S% in= > "his advice also makes it clear that $andhi/i was not a blind o))onent of modern science andtechnolo y, as some sections would like to )ortray him* A hen %mericans come and ask me what servicethey could render, tell them* if you dan le your millions before us, you will make be ars of us anddemoralise us .ut in one thin don7t mind bein a be ar Oou can ask your en ineers and a riculturale+)erts to )lace their services at our dis)osal "hey must come to us not as lords and masters, but asvoluntary workers

Proposals $or Con!rete (!tion"ill date Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam has been more a framework for connectin various levels anddimensions of )olitical work in the manner that new forms of 'orth(South solidarity and )artnershi) couldbe worked out t is not an or anisation com)etin with other or anisations in terms of visibility andconstituency t owns and considers itself )art of the radical democratic movement "he more we dialo ueand rub shoulders with each other, the nearer we arrive at a more com)rehensive and sharedunderstandin of our times and the )ossible modes of intervention "he or anisational form thatVasudhaiva Kutumbakam takes de)ends u)on the local conte+t in which )eo)le come to ether Severalor anisations in ndia have ado)ted a )ro ramme on dialo ues for com)rehensive democracy,callin it 6the Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam )ro ramme7 Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam in ndia is not a re isteredor anisation but a forum to develo) the international dimension of radical democratic )olitics of thecountry to become )art of the world(wide movement for dee)enin democracyKee)in our basic )remises, the challen es covered in the fore oin discussion and the limitations inmind, the followin are some su estions for concrete action*

• -)enin u) s)aces for multi)le visions to evolve, flower and e+)ress themselves !ialo ue, or infact multi(lo ue across the diverse visions and between diverse strands within them, will enrich allhuman strivin "his can occur democratically only when each vision feels secure and em)owered

• nstitutionalisin 3uasi()ermanent structuresNnetworks for endurin 6!ialo ues on democracy andlobalisation7 "his can be the most strate ic tool for lobal democratisation e need to

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consciously and ur ently cultivate )eer rou)s, clubs, institutions, networks, movement rou)s and)olitical )arties to discuss the )ositive forms of intervent ion to dee)en democracy

• e ur ently need to undertake some defensive actions as well e need to evolve a defencestrate y in )reservin what the he emonic forces have not so far destroyed Southern civilisationshave been )ractisin for thousands of years a way of life that we now describe as 6 reen )rinci)les7% careful look at their livelihood su))ort systems will show that limitin the wants was a consciouschoice for conservation and re eneration of nature and not due to sheer technolo icalbackwardness .ut now, the )resent form of lobalisation is destroyin these communities at avery ra)id rate $lobal democratic forums need to set u) a 6defence committee7 to defend 6 reencommunities7 in the South -therwise, what has been )reserved throu h thousands of years will becom)letely destroyed in the ne+t cou)le of decades

• e need an inde)endent information, research and media network to identify the democratic)ractices, stru les, dreams and dramas bein unfolded and enacted in the family called Garth eneed to collect, collate and then share this information, es)ecially for those who are still )risonersof the mira e of the %merican consumer )aradise e should resolve to set u) such media centresall over the world and to disseminate this information in the )eo)le7s lan ua es as widely as)ossible, besides doin so in Gn lish

• %ll these dialo ues and buildin u) of institutions and networks should culminate into buildin alobal front for defendin , dee)enin and e+)andin democracy "his front can be built throu h a

combination of intellectual activism and or anisation buildin "he or anisation buildin cannotha))en throu h intellectual activism alone "he evolution of ideolo ical frameworks and buildin u)of networks can ha))en effectively if we use the tool of civil disobedient and constructive action, asevolved by $andhi/i

• "hose who believe in democracy have not only to shun violence themselves but also have todele itimise violence as a method for social chan e "hey have to shar)en the tools of non(violentcivil disobedience $andhi/i believed that only those who are civil and obey the laws of the landhave the ri ht to fi ht the un/ust laws

• "he a enda of boycottin enetically modified food( rains and biotechnolo y )roduced ediblematerials should be ado)ted and, if necessary, non(violent civil disobedience should be resorted to"his should be done after ade3uate )olitical and technical )re)aration, includin sustainable landuse )lannin

• % cam)ai n should be launched a ainst all diversionary moves which, in the name of culturalnationalism and 6national sentiments7, )ut issues such as the ri ht to work and ri ht to sustainablelivelihood at the backburner

• !emocratisin e+istin lobal institutions by sensitisin them to the above )rocesses and makinthem su))ortive .uildin such )ressure on e+istin institutions and devisin new institutions morein consonance with the callin of the )resent times would then be )art of bottom(u) movements"he institutions must be constantly renewed by an interactive )rocess and mechanisms for thismust be structurally incor)orated

"tatement o$ Purpose $or Vasudhaiva KutumbakamFinland

Thomas Wallgreniagnosis o$ the Times: Politi!s in the Conte1t o$ Culture"he dream of e3uality between free )eo)le livin di nified and secure lives may be as old as human kinditself t is not the )ro)erty of any one time, )lace or culture but belon s to all, as an on oin task "heconditions for its realisation vary over time n our times all )eo)le en a in in )olitics for e3uality andsolidarity need to define their views on the )owers E military, economic, )olitical and cultural E unleashedby the modern est "his is true to an eminent de ree for those of us who live in estern Guro)e and'orth %merica &et that, then, be my startin ()oint1odernisation as a form of civilisation combines unlikely )olitical, social, economic, moral and culturalas)ects that have been u)held trium)hantly lobally for five centuries "his has, famously, been the first

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)eriod of world history %t no other time in the million years that humanoid creatures have inhabited thisearth have any one of their cultural e+)ressions come anywhere near the modern est in terms ofdynamic influence on the bios)here and cultural develo)ments on all continents "he five centuries ofmodern e+)ansion deserve to be called the era of e+tremes "hey have been marked by e+cessiveamounts of both o))ression and emanci)ation, )overty and wealth, sufferin and self(realisation, culturaldecline and flowerin , all of which have been e+tremely une3ually distributed-ne of the most attractive features of modernisation is its universal intention, an aim certainly not uni3ueto modern culture, but which nevertheless serves as its moral basis, ivin its other as)irations su))ortand credibility 1odernity, which )romises so many ood thin s in this life, includin emanci)ation fromold social bonds, individual autonomy, the satisfaction of immediate desire without moral risk andunforeseen material affluence and )ower comes with the claim that these )romises are meant for us all8ntil recently, the )romise seemed realistic t made sense to believe that modernisation as a universalmoral )ro/ect was com)atible with the industrial rowth model of social or anisation 8nder theseconditions, it was natural that )rotests a ainst the affluent uto)ia were mostly seen as e+)ressin anelitist aesthetic sensibility that did not merit serious )olitical attention $iven the ideolo y of the culturalneutrality of science, technolo y and modern estern consumer standards, it was natural too thatindustrial affluence of the estern ty)e became a oal and its furtheran ce a source of cultural and)olitical le itimacy for the )owerful across the )lanet "his was the time when cultural visions that did notinte rate the search for scientific and technolo ical mi ht and at least some as)ects of the consumer

)aradise became mar inalised in most traditions%t the end of the old 1illennium it had, however, become evident that the dream of modernity as theuniversal consumer )aradise has come to its end "he world has enou h for everyone7s needs but not foreveryone7s reed, as $andhi already knew"he cultural im)lication is obvious but not ea erly received in all 3uarters* modernisation can continuetoday only on the basis of a choice between solidarity and rowth, as the overridin concern and criterionfor social and cultural success"here is little doubt about the choice that )revails today* the 8S and G8 and elites in all countries whofollow their lead, are headin towards the abyss that o)ens u) when )riority is iven to industrial rowththat benefits, at most, the already rich, not to universal /ustice and solidarity n the search for rowth,ca)italism, unfettered by the socialist challen e, comes into its own, )romisin infinite increases in wealthand mi ht to the already rich and mi hty %nd, of course, ca)italism in its )ure form is a )olitical re imetoo, with im)erialistic warfare, lobal /uridical re ulation of the economy, and increasin ly totalitarian

domestic )olitics as its condition for success % fundamental 3uestion of our times, es)ecially in themodern est is how we can shift cultural track How can we move away from the dim )ros)ects thatinevitably follow for us and others as lon as we choose rowth that benefits the rich rather than asolidarity as the )aramount oalI How can we abandon such 6cynical modernity7 and embark on a new

6modernity of solidarity7 in which )riority is iven to the universal moral ideals of modern culture over thevalues of worldly successI hat would it mean for us today to be uided in our )olitics by those veryideals of democracy, e3uity and freedom and di nity of all, which the dominatin )owers still, withunfathomable hy)ocrisy, claim for themselvesI

t is in the search for answers to this 3uestion that see a role for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam "hatstatement im)lies that think the answers iven at )resent by the best )olitical forces are not satisfactory.its and )ieces of the answers we need are available in the broad s)ectrum of left, reen and centrist(liberal forces, which can credibly claim to be uided by universal, democratic as)irations shall call thisthe centre(left 5 .ut they need to be dee)ened and stren thened, bearin in mind a key lesson of the )astcentury, the lesson that the centre(left needs to draw its stren th from multi)le dreams and o)en(ended,non(violent stru le rather than from a sin ular uto)ia that ives false /ustification to standardisation,violence and o))ression

The Crisis o$ Centre0le$t Politi!s"he current crisis of modernity has a well(known )olitical as)ect m)erial, cor)orate(driven, ca)italist

lobalisation has )rom)ted a crisis of overnance with world(wide im)lications 'ot only are basic survivalconditions of disadvanta ed )eo)le, animals and )lants destroyed at a )henomenal rate ronically, thecolla)se of many states and the rowin uncertainty and disre ard for rules that rows from within

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ca)italism itself is, ar uably, creatin increasin risk for the traditional winners in lobal ca)italism, thelar e cor)orations, and the )olitical and administrative elites of the dominant )owers"he ensuin so(called crisis of overnance has received enormous attention, es)ecially amon theeducated, western and westernised elites "he natural, often(heard res)onse is the call for moretransnational and N or lobal overnance Lust see how wide the call has run in academic circles, the web,'$-s, orld .ank re)orts, overnment )ro rammes and western media durin the )ast decadeSometimes the call is moderated by calls for democracy in lobal overnance, and lately radical rou)sand intellectuals have started atherin around )ro rammes for transnational and lobal democratisation"he call for lobal democratisation has my sym)athy and su))ort t can also be dan erous, however,unless it is understood in a lar er cultural conte+t %s lon as we think of the crisis we face today )rimarilyas a crisis of overnance we will not be able to see that the call for overnance and the call for democracyare ultimately two entirely different cultural models e will then be )rone to en a e in a )olitics for

lobal democracy with an a enda so narrow that it risks becomin , inadvertently, the unlikely ally ofim)erial, belli erent ca)italism "his risk looms lar e in centre(left )olitics today and is a key reason forour collective weakness at all levels of )olitics %s think this dia nosis is )olitically 3uite )otent, willne+t )rovide some warrant for it .efore oin to that, let me stress, however, that do not seeVasudhaiva Kutumbakam as a forum e+clusively for those who a ree with my dia nosis and ar ument see it rather as a forum, in which concerns such as the ones e+)ress here can be debated amon friendssharin common values so that we can learn to ether

&et me start with an analo y .etween = ? and = ?, the risin awareness of the ecolo ical )roblemsand of their links to the develo)ment crisis in the South led to a much needed 3uestionin of the industrialrowth model of society in estern Guro)e and 'orth %merica, or 6the 'orth7 n the mid( 0s, however,

after the invention of a new terminolo y with the conce)ts 6ecolo ical modernisation7 and 6sustainabledevelo)ment7 at the core, the radicalisin 3uestionin of the dominant develo)ment model in the 'orthwas transformed into a search for more(of(the(same %s we have seen so clearly since the )ublication ofthe so called .rundtland :e)ort on Sustainable !evelo)ment in = Q, the )olitical search for sustainabledevelo)ment since has not been a search for cultural transformation in the 'orth due to the limits to

rowth nor has it been about social and )olitical transformation in order to advance lobal e3uitySustainable develo)ment has become the le itimatin round for a )olitics of technolo ical andadministrative fi+es in which the )olitical )otential of the ecolo ical crisis is domesticated hat used to bea reason to )ut checks and limits on im)erial a ression and cor)orate )ower has become a vehicle forenhanced )ower for the educated elites in business, administration, academic institutions and the new

)ower brokers called '$-s"here is no e+act )arallel between 6sustainable develo)ment7 and 6 lobalisation7, and not all uses of theword lobalisation are dan erous 'evertheless, it seems to me that some very troublin )oliticaldevelo)ments are intrinsically linked to the rise of the term 6 lobalisation7 to the centre of our )resent)olitical vocabularyFirst, there is what want to call the unintended affiliation between e many )olitical initiatives discussedat Porto %le re and in !avos, in the orld Social Forum SF5 and the orld Gconomic Forum GvenPresident .ush will a ree easily with many discussants at the SF that because of economic lobalisation,

6the world7 needs creativity and bold action in sha)in new structures of transnational overnance $iventhe asymmetry in communicative and administrative )ower, this a reement is often sufficient to enablethe elites to translate radical and well(intended )ro)ositions for transnational institutional reform into a)olitical dynamics that works in their favour Lust think how smoothly radical reform )ro)osals, such as thecall for a #urrency "ransaction "reaty the 6"obin ta+75, have durin the )ast few years been translated intoa le itimation of new means of technocratic control, such as the investment treaty in the orld "rade-r anisation "-5 or reater centralisation of )ower in the Guro)ean 8nion G85 "he crucial ste) isoften the shift from the correct claim, Awe need fair and democratic rules to control so(and(so, etransnational ca)ital flows to the )otentially enocidal Awe need a rules(based lobal system to controlso(and(so#onsider further, the debates over the "- and over the G8 n both debates, the centre(left standsdivided Some of us are ea er to use the "- and G8 as tools for our oals "he reason is not that wethink so well of the )resent "- or G8 "he reason is that we think both, or at least one of them, say the

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G8, belon to the best )romises we have in the stru le for lobal democracy, )eace and /ustice "he coreof the ar ument to this effect is very well known t runs, with little variety as follows*

A n the 20th century, the centre(left came a lon way ino tamin ca)italism at the national level "hefinest achieve ment was, ar uably, the creation of the welfare societies of the 'ordic countries, whichbecame models of e3uality, )ros)erity and democracy of lobal si nificance 8nfortunately, however,ca)italism has out rown the )olitical reach of nation states "he centre(left must therefore create newstructures of transnational overnance f we do not /oin forces to reform the G8 and )erha)s the "-too5 from within, we lose some of our best tools for tamin lobal ca)italism "herefore, and also as acounterwei ht to 8S military he emony, we need a stron G8 and, )erha)s, a stron "-5 -ne could call this the )olitical )ro ramme of the social democratic reformist o)timists"he reformist )ro ramme is challen ed by other centre(left forces "hey claim that the )resent )ros)ectsfor reform of the "- and N or the G8 are so dim that we should o))ose and resist rather than o alonwith and seek reform from within 'ot all transnational )ower, these forces will claim, are effective whenwe seek to tame ca)italism "he )resent "- and the )resent G8, they will claim, are fundamentallyundemocratic :ather than servin as tools to control cor)orate )ower the G8 andNor the "- work, infact, to enhance it e should not be misled by our dreams 'o one who takes the trouble to analyse thedraft constitution for the Guro)ean 8nion )re)ared by the 6Guro)ean #onvention7 can fail to see that it)romises no democratisation of the G8, but rather cements the )resent )ower structure Far fromdevelo)in into a tool for democratic control of ca)italism, or for )uttin checks on the military he emony

of the 8S and the G8 as we have it in reality and not in our dreams, the draft constitution is develo)ininto a tool for control by industry and finance of the )olity and for securin an im)roved Guro)eancontribution to 8S( led im)erialist a ression $ivin more )ower to the G8 will not, therefore, brin more

/ustice and )eace to the )olitical system but less"he debates over the role of G8 and "- reform to advance lobal /ustice and )eace illustrate a lar er)roblem that haunts the centre(left today "he 3uarrels over the role of short(term realistic reform ofe+istin transnational institutions in a com)rehensive )olitics for lobal solidarity has resulted in whatcould be called the $reat !ivide -n one side, we have the committed realists and reformists of thecentre(left "heir fate durin the )ast decade or two has been to )lay 3uite weakly in overnment or

overnment coalitions whose )olitics is defined by a solid neo( liberal he emony "a+ cuts anddere ulation in domestic )olitics have been accom)anied by cor)orate(friendly 6liberalisation7 of theinternational economy, under the uidance of the orld .ank, the nternational 1onetary Fund, the "-and their re ional clones "he result is known by all* rowin income a)s in and between countries

lobally, rowin insecurity and mar inalisation on all continents, the decline of small scale farmin andlocal self(reliance, etc%t the same time, more radical centre(left rou)s who refuse to fi ht on the terms dictated by thedominant ri ht have been mar inalised from )ra matic decision(makin Simultaneously, they haveencountered their notorious 6stran e bed(fellow )roblem7 i e the )roblem of distin uishin themselvesfrom communal, nationalistic or +eno)hobic rou)s"he situation we end u) in is this* "he more radical left stands with a rowin nationalist and fascist ri htin a )osition of a morally ri hteous but )olitically im)otent o))osition %nd the reformist left standshel)lessly in )ower with the )revailin , neo(liberal ri ht 8nable to level out their differences, the dividedcentre(left fi hts a defensive and losin battle in the ca)italist whirl)ool while the fascist ri ht advances to)ower

hat we have lost, or never achieved sufficiently, in most Guro)ean countries at least is the day(to(dayco(o)eration and sense of self(evident solidarity between the reformist left(liberal s)ectrum and the moreradical reen(left s)ectrum of )olitics n my country, Finland, and believe many other countries as well,the loss takes the form also of a loss of solidarity between established )arties, trade unions and farmers7or anisations on one side, and radical more or less anarchist movement rou)s on the other side "he

SF()rocess serves well to break this unha))y constellation %nd maybe the new overnments ofGcuador, Vene9uela and .ra9il are a si n that a new centre(left he emony is on the riseI .ut shall notdiscuss that here 5 hat we witness in conse3uence of these divides is the sorry s)ectacle of a centre(leftthat lacks moral vision and )olitical coura e "he end result is that we have been slow and weak inchallen in im)erial ca)italism at its roots@ at the levels of cultural ima ination and daily mass(su))ort

The Way 3ut: eepening and 4roadening the (genda12



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e, the )eo)le, )arties, rou)s, movements, trade unions and other )olitical or anisations of the centre(left have a sim)le task e need to break the neo(liberal he emony "his re3uires stren th both in)ra matic day(to(day )olitical reform and at the level of visions and values#reative work for transnational )olitical reform has a role to )lay in our overall strate y, but if we are toovercome 6the $reat !ivide7, we need to be more clear than we have been of late about this )art of our)ro ramme Ruarrellin over the ri ht G8 or "- )olitics will be endless and un)roductive unless we seeboth tasks in a broad and lon (term )ers)ective &et me refer briefly to two basic conditions fordemocracy that the centre(left needs to, but has often have failed to, take into account .oth conditionsare shru ed off as irrelevant by neo(liberals Kee)in them in view hel)s, think, in makin clear theintellectual and moral bankru)tcy of the neo(liberal ri ht 5First* democracy is not interest a lomeration %ccordin to a )o)ular but limited version of liberaldemocratic thou ht, )eo)le enter society with interests and needs which only the individual herself canknow !emocracy, on this account, is a tool we use to wei h these le itimate irreducibly individualinterests and needs a ainst each other in order to accom)lish fair re5distribution "his view is based onan atomistic notion of society as constituted by isolated individuals or 6atoms75 and it im)lies amechanistic notion of democracy $lobal democracy, we mi ht think on this basis, is essentially achievableby havin a world )arliament elected throu h adult franchise and assisted by an effective staff of e+)ertsto take care of lobal )roblems :e ional )arliaments will do the /ob at the re ional level, national at thenational level and so on "his vision of democracy as essentially com)risin three com)onents, free and

fair elections, democratic le islation by the elected and the e+ercise of )ower by overnments accountableto elected )arliaments has only limited merit if already for the followin reason* t overlooks the e+tent towhich needs and interests are constantly defined and redefined throu h communication cannot knowwhat is ood for me unless know how my assessment is received by others care for and about, andunless know how these others assess my assessment and can learn from them, and unless the otherscan learn from me, and unless know that they know how understand their assessment, and so on andso on* "he levels and kinds of reci)rocal reflection, care and learnin that )lay a role in democraticcommunication are 3uite many and com)le+ 5 For this reason alone, we can have democracy worth itsname only between )eo)le who can effectively communicate with each other %nd, for this reason alone,many well(intended )ro)osals for lobal and transnational democratic reform that are in vo ue today bearthe mark of naivetySecond* democratic communication is not easily achieved e must, of course, be fascinated by the)ros)ects o)ened u) by new media and so(called lobal civil society .oth o)en u) im)ortant new

)ossibilities .ut we must be clear that new media are no more neutral tools for democracy than are oldmedia, such as the 6free7 commercial )ress and "V %nd 6civil society7 is all too often founded on dreams ofmass )artici)ation while its real outreach and mobilisation remains e+tremely weak -f course, my )oint isnot that we should leave internet and international conferencin to our o))onents .ut the fact is thateven when at their best, as in the Socialist nternational, the nternational #oalition of Free "rade 8nions,the orld Social Forum, lobal movement networks such as Peo)le7s $lobal %ction or Lubilee 2000 or in

'$-s nternational 'on($overnmental -r anisations5 such as Friends of the Garth or %ttac, internationalcommunication structures in the a e of the net and 6 lobal civil society7 remain e+tremely asymmetrical&an ua e barriers, endered technolo ies and economic and technolo ical dis)arities continue to ivefantastic )rivile e to the educated male elites and middle classes in all )arts of the lobe "his is not onlytrue in business, hi h )olitics and the academic world but in left(centre )olitics of all varieties as well %ndthe )roblem is often even more acute on the transnational and lobal level than on re ional, national andlocal levels of or anisation

ith these observations in mind, let me sin le out three strate ic challen es to centre(left )olitics in theera of lobalisation and the cultural crisis of modernity t should be obvious from the discussion abovethat intend the challen es hi hli ht as com)lementary to, not as re)lacements for, some more obviousand well(known tasks such as sto))in im)erialist warfare and curbin cor)orate )ower 5First, the challen e of com)rehensibility* )eo)le can e+ercise democratic ri hts and )artici)ate effectivelyonly if )olitical )rocesses are understandable -ften the currently most decisive )olitical issues, such as G8or "-(reform, )resent 3uite serious difficulties in this re ardSecond, the challen e of creatin the ri ht structures of communication and to stren then, and if neededcreate, corres)ondin democratic )rocesses and institutions e must face, not least, the fact that in the

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era of the internet and lobal air travel, and as more nations than ever before conduct multi()artyelections with universal suffra e, the democratic accountability of elected and non(elected )olitical leadersseems to have weakened rather than stren thened hy is this and what are the remediesI"hird, the challen e of limitin the )olitical tasks "he current level of inte ration and interde)endence inworld affairs threatens to make meanin ful, reasoned )olitical )artici)ation a full(time task .ut not all)eo)le want to be full(time activists and not all )eo)le can "his and other considerations only hinted athere5 o)ens u) the )ros)ect that modern technolo y and the modes of or anisation it necessitates areincom)atible with com)rehensive democracy %nd that reminds us of the need in the centre(left to takeseriously a ain the discussion about the ri ht balance between the local, the national and thetransnational in our )olitical and economic strate ies

t seems to me that no democratic )olitics today can ho)e to be realistic without a view of transnational orlobal democratisation .ut it is e3ually true that a democratic )olitics that focuses too much on the lobal

or transnational level will have little chance of res)ondin to the challen es mentionedt is because of the need see for the centre(left to unite and to address the challen es have mentioned

that welcome the com)rehensive )ers)ective on democracy that lies at the core of !emocracy ForumVasudhaiva Kutumbakam

n discussions of this )ers)ective, friends of the initiative have often talked about dimensions ofdemocracy !imensions that have been mentioned include )olitical, ecolo ical, cultural, ender, social,economic and knowled e democracy

-ne could say that this discussion of the dimensions of democracy is informed by a hori9ontal view of thechallen es for a com)rehensive )olitics for democratisation welcome it for many reasons %t the level of our theoretical understandin , the analysis of the various

dimensions of democracy reminds us that democratic )olitics is a richer and )erha)s more demandin artthan is often observed !emocratic )olitics is not only about economics and overnance, even thou h itmust be about these too 5 %t the level of )ra matic day(to(day work, the same analysis )romises to be anener isin and enrichin tool would like to em)hasise one )articularly )romisin as)ect hen we s)eakof the many dimensions of democracy, we will be reminded of what the )olitical movements have alwaysintuitively known* a )olitical movement is successful when cultural, social, e)istemic and other effortswork without com)etition between them towards common oals Gmma $oldman was ri ht* % movementthat does not have its own dances will not be successful Hence, there is a )lace and need in democratic)olitics for )eo)le of many other ty)es than those who en/oy the classical )olitical themes of state()owerand economic re ulation -ne way in which Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam has the )otential to contribute to a

resur ence of centre(left )olitics is by servin as a forum that ins)ires a broadenin of the centre(left self(understandin , )artici)ation and )olitical a enda

would, however, like to add a 6vertical7 )ers)ective to the hori9ontal )ers)ective on democracyhichever 6dimension7 of democracy we consider, it involves challen es at different vertical levels of

human interaction "he mechanisms and tools for democracy will not all be the same at the family level,the community level, the national level, the re ional level, the transnational level and the lobal level fwe reco nise this, we can also reco ni se that the 3uarrel over direct vs re)resentative democracy isoften s)urious 5%ll vertical levels of democracy in all hori9ontal dimensions are interde)endent f we have no democracyin our families or our com)anies, our schools or our local communities, we will not have individuals withthe ca)acity to en a e democratically in transnational )olitics .ut, also, unless transnational democraticstructures )rotect local democracies of e ender and the economy a ainst the onslau ht of ca)italista ression, the latter will be facin hard times %nd so on!emocratic )olitics, then, is a truly com)rehensive task !emocracy Forum Vasudhaiva Kutumbakamserves a role already in remindin us that this is the case 'evertheless, it is not an initiative desi nedonly to )ro)el dreams

3ver!oming the (meri!an ream: "ome /otes on the Work (head"his is not the )lace to discuss )ro rammes but let me close with a remark that connects to my dia nosisabove and with a few notes on the current tasks of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam as see them"he centre(left needs, as stressed above, to challen e the neo(liberal he emony in 6hi h )olitics7,es)ecially transnationally .ut it can do so successfully only if i5 it does not restrict itself to 6reactive7,transnational )olitical stru le and ii5 if it reco nises that the current neo(liberal he emony is rooted in a

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dee) cultural he emony n the )resent world, 6the %merican !ream7, the dream of ettin a ticket toconsumer )aradise, has ca)tured the hearts and minds of )eo)le across the lobe n this sense, thedefeat of centre(left )olitics for /ustice, )eace and democracy * the com)rehensive and dee) )oliticalchan es that are re3uired today can only come to ether with chan es in cultural vision and as)iration#orrect res)onses and answers will be different in different conte+ts and different )arts of the lobe ewill not find all the ri ht answers overni ht Peaceful cultural chan e involves dee) collective learnin)rocesses and must be slow t took centuries for the modern est to ac3uire its he emonic force t is arelatively new discovery that this cultural form has come to a )oint at which a choice has becomeinevitable between strivin above all for rowth for the rich, which will lead to a new cultural form, 6cynicalmodernity7 and strivin for ethical universalism, which will lead, in various forms and with many varieties,to modernities or )ost( modernities5 of solidarity "he needs of our times are truly i antic and )ressin'evertheless, it would be unrealistic and dan erous to e+)ect that the cultural and )olitical chan es thatour new cultural )redicament necessitates could be achieved within /ust one or two enerations:e ardless of how accurate the nuthshell dia nosis of the times have su ested is, one thin seemsclear "he only way to a different, more )lural, ecolo ically realistic and more humane cultural order comesthrou h lon )rocesses of democratic ne otiation, stru le and service "he work ahead can only beachieved throu h real )artici)ation by very lar e numbers of )eo)le Success will not come easily .ut su))ose few of us thou ht that human life would ever be easy %nd there is ood news as well e do notknow the ways of history .ut it seems to me realistic today to think that even 3uite minimal democratic

advances can, due to the monstrosity and )recariousness of the )resent structures of )ower, have very)owerful effects#an Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam add anythin to this stru leI "hat, of course, is a 3uestion to be decidedthrou h real work close with some remarks that ive an idea of the kind of work think VasudhaivaKutumbakam could advance

• Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam rows )artly out of discussions and )olitical co(o)eration between South%sian and 'ordic activists that have endured for more than decade "he initiative has therefore aninherent inter(cultural as)ect 'evertheless, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is not desi ned only or)rimarily to )romote international activities hile we reco nise the hu e relevance of internationaland transnational )olitics, many of us think that most )olitical work today still needs to reach thelevels where most citi9ens meet and are active, i e the local and national levels "hese basicstartin ()oints should hel) avoid both national or local )arochialism and the eurocentrism anddominance of the e+)eriential basis of the fre3uent travellers that is so ty)ical of manyinternational and transnational )olitical initiatives, old and new

• Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is not a cam)ai n or anisation, nor a body that tries to advance its own)olitical )ro ramme or ideolo y t strives to serve as a forum for understandin and brid e(buildin "o this end, it will be useful if Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam can be used as a forum tone otiate differences and recreate solidarity throu h debate over issues that are strate icallydivisive between )eo)le and or anisations of the centre(left workin on similar themes .ut alsosee a role for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam in re(for in links between various sectors of the centre(leftthat at times have been close but have now drifted a)art -ne e+am)le mi ht be the links betweenthe academic centre(left and )arties and movements, another mi ht be the links between culturalworkers and activists in )arties and movements with a more immediately )olitical identity

• Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam intends, with all modesty, to be one of many rou)s and initiatives thatsu))ort and contribute to the orld Social Forum )rocess t should not be seen as seekin to

com)ete with it, be it at the national, re ional or international level• !es)ite its intellectual )rofile and dialo ic focus, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam should be acutely awareof the need not only for discussion and debate, but also for two other e3ually necessary dimensionsof democratic )olitics -ne is service* only by understandin our work as selfless service for what$andhi called !aridranarayan the last )erso n5, not as stru le for )ower and influence can weaccom)lish the unity of means and ends that is essential to all truly democratic )olitics "he otheris resistance* to achieve democratic chan e, we must remember, it is often not sufficient to have

ood ideas and ood ar uments that win massive su))ort -ften necessary chan e can only beachieved after the )owerful have been challen ed with all means of non(violent stru le andresistance

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(!kno#ledgements"he ideas e+)ressed in this book are an outcome of a lon lastin dialo ue between the authors and manyothers since = f all those who have contributed to the develo)ment of these ideas were named, thelist would make another ?0 )a es However, there are )eo)le who have taken active interest in theVasudhaiva Kutumbakam idea whom we wish to acknowled e n ndia and 'e)al, $ 'arendra 'ath,

. K :oy .urman, :icha 'a ar, ! & Sheth, !evinder Sharma, %run Kumar economist5, %run Kumar)anibaba5, %run Sin h, :a/ni .akshi, %/it Lha, : ' 1ehro tra, %nil .hattarai, Va ish Lha, :aman 'andaand 1anvi Priya have iven im)ortant in)uts n Finland and Sweden a rou) of activist and scholars whohave taken )art in the discussions include Laana %iraksinen, "ord ./ rk, -uti Hakkarainen, :isto somTki,1eri Koivusalo, %nastasia &aitila, &eena :ikkilT, Katarina Sehm(PatomTki, "ove Selin, Folke Sundman, -lli"ammilehto, -ras "ynkkynen and 1arko 8lvila Larna Pasanen did the final editin and effort to brin outthis booklet

Vijay Pratap has been active in the democratic social movement, as member of youth win of theSocialist Party since = and later Lanata Party at its ince)tion He has been founder member of anumber of or anisations and networks for furtherin democracy and )eo)le(centred develo)ment "heseinclude the Peo)le7s 8nion for #ivil &iberties, &okayan and Sam)oorna Kranti 1anch He has been visitinfellow and convener of dialo ues at the #entre for the Study of !evelo)in Societies, !elhi #urrently he isattem)tin a dialo ic en a ement for democratisin the international 'orth(South relations anddevelo)in local to lobal networks for dee)enin com)rehensive democracyRitu Priya, currently teachin at #entre of Social 1edicine and #ommunity Health, Lawaharlal 'ehru8niversity, has been workin on the democratisation of knowled e systems %s a medical raduate with adoctorate in )ublic health, her focus has been a search for develo)in a))roaches towards conte+tual and)eo)le( centre health )olicies and )ro rammes !alit )erce)tions, health of the urban )oor, the res)onsesto % !S and the links between health and democracy are some of her on oin concerns She has beenmember of Peo)le7s 8nion of #ivil &iberties, the 1edico Friend #ircle and coordinator of SwasthyaPanchayat, workin rou) on health in &okayan, !elhiThomas Wallgren is a )hiloso)her and senior research fellow at the %cademy of Finland His mainresearch interests are the )hiloso)hy of modernity and e)istemolo y !urin the )ast decades he has)layed an im)ortant role in several formations of new social movements, es)ecially in the fields of the

environment and lobal solidarity He has served as a vice(chair)erson of Service #entre for !evelo)ment#oo)eration and Finnish Society for 'ature #onservation and been a leadin activist of many movementrou)s such as Finnish Forest %ction $rou) and %lternative to the Guro)ean 8nion #urrently he is the

vice(chair)erson of !emocracy Forum Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam Finland5 and board member of #or)orateGuro)e -bservatory the 'etherlands5

Oour co(o)eration and )artici)ation will contribute towards enrichin this dialo ue Please send yourcomments and ideas to us at the followin addresses*Coalition $or Comprehensive emo!ra!y 0 Vasudhaiva KutumbakamVasudhaiva KutumbakamcNo &okayan=> %li)ur :oad!elhi ( ==0 0?4G(mail* vasudhaivakutumbakamUvsnl net

emo!ra!y Forum 0 Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam .Finland):Vasudhaiva KutumbakamPen ertie >>Q 00 "oi/alaFinland

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