Specter of War Dominates WSF and WEF Opening Events

 
The World Economic Forum and the World Social Forum begin at a time of great and conflicting expectations for peace, war, prosperity or recession. The WSF's host country, Brazil, is perhaps the best example of this uncertainty. Luiz In�cio "Lula" da Silva, Brazil's new president, used the word "change" to characterize his campaign. Without such change, can the motto of the WSF-another world is possible-be attained?

Hopes here and in Davos don't seem very high. In Davos, the WEF is debating war and terrorism. In Porto Alegre, people cry out against what they see as an inevitable course toward war while they march for peace. These questions seem to be changing the chemistry of both meetings, making them less tolerant, with more rougher edges as blueprints for a better world take a back seat to more immediate issues.

This dynamic is dramatized by Lula's decision to "bring Porto Alegre to Davos." It personifies the balancing act his own government is attempting between his campaign promises and his alliance to the left with his need to integrate the political center. Politics seems to be playing a broader role than at previous WSFs, despite the organizers' efforts to keep it out of the mix.

Politics was in evidence at the opening march, where parties to the left of Lula's political alliance pressed him to listen to the 10 million people who voted no in Brazil's FTAA plebiscite. They would like him to hold his own plebiscite on the issue so they can vote it down and bring about Brazil's withdrawal from the negotiations. The FTAA continues to be a top issue in Porto Alegre despite the presence of EU and some Asian participants.

Also marching was the mayor of Latin America's largest city, S�o Paulo. Marta Suplicy was part of the crowd viewing the opening procession. She was in a strategic place, both physically and politically! Her presence would have been highly debated in previous years, and it is sure to being some comment at this forum as well.

At last year's WSF, Porto Alegre was characterized by a buoyant climate of optimism that the world could be a better place. Despite Lula's election, expectations this year are not lofty. His own problems of governing as a left-wing politician with one foot in the center are making this crowd nervous. But mostly, frustration over the rush to war is setting the tone of the opening events in Brazil and in Davos.