N30 + 10: global civil society, a decade after the battle of Seattle

Abstract

Now that a decade has passed, it is possible to discuss whether the events of ''N30,'' as it was called by activists, inspired increased participation in social justice movements or whether N30 marked the high tide of opposition to neoliberalism and militarism. Have global justice movements that defend the weak and oppressed been undermined by co-optation and violent repression, or have they broadened support for new standards of environmentalism, human rights, and dignity? Looking forward, what new challenges or opportunities have arisen from the great recession that began in 2008? This article begins to answer these questions by reviewing the events of N30 in Seattle, the theorization of this event as an expression of a ''global civil society,'' the co-optation of global civil society by international elites, its violent repression by militarized forces, and strategies from ''below and to the left'' for the current crisis.