G-20 Flops, Protests Turn Violent

By Brian Englesma

Leaders from some of the world’s largest economies met last Thursday and Friday to work towards resolving the worldwide economic crisis. The conference, held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is following on the heels of a G-20 conference in April held in London. Originally planned to be held in New York to coincide with the opening of the UN General Assembly, the event was moved to Pittsburgh due to coordinating concerns.

The shakers and movers from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States were all in attendance. Although not technically members of the G-20, the Netherlands and Spain were invited to the event as well. Also present were representatives from the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, the Association of Southeast Nations, the European Commission, the European Council, the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Financial Stability Forum.

Following the April meeting, where the G-20 came to an agreement on new credit card ratings and hedge fund regulations, as well as a commitment of over a trillion dollars towards boosting world trade and aiding struggling economies, those in attendance were looking to assess progress and see what else they could do to help the struggling economies recover from one of the worst recessions in recent memory.

Ultimately very little came out of the Pittsburgh summit, with the only notable thing being that the countries agreed that the G-20 would replace the smaller G-8, which is comprised of only the eight largest economies in the world, when it comes to matters of international economic cooperation. The G-8 will still meet to discuss major security issues, but will have a much depleted influence as an institution. The move to grant greater power to the G-20 was made to allow developing economies such as China, Brazil and India a greater voice in international matters.

Like all other international monetary institutions, the G-20 has its share of controversy and opposition. The Pittsburgh Summit, similar to recent meetings of the WTO, the G-8 and the G-20, was accompanied by protests by various groups and organizations.

Peace, labor, environmental, and social justice organizations all actively protested the summit, each lobbying for their own interests. And although not formally part of any organization, various anarchists also made their opposition known.

The protests started with the hanging of a banner on a bridge by Greenpeace, which ultimately only had the effect of slowing down traffic for a time. Another event that occurred before the formal start of the summit was a protest march and “day of action” organized by the G-20 Resistance Project. This protest gathered around 500 demonstrators, and was ultimately dispersed by authorities by pepper spray and a sound cannon. Some demonstrators were met with counter-protestors who shouted “Let’s go Steelers,” presumably in support of the Pittsburgh Steelers, a local professional football franchise.

By the end of the summit, police estimated that about 4,500 people participated in protests, with 83 people being arrested. Furthermore, authorities estimated that about $50,000 worth of damage was caused, with $20,000 of it caused by a single anarchist.

Although very little concrete action came out from the conference, it still caused a stir among various advocacy groups. While replacing the G-8 with the G-20 is a meaningful gesture, it is just the symbolic and ultimately meaningless move that one should expect when it comes to the world of international politics.