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In the last days it will be, God declares, The ringing affirmation in the title of this issue is an inspiration. We want and need that encouragement to hope, and feel intuitively that it must be justified. Yet a natural immediate second thought is to question whether global economic justice is really possible. The value of rhetoric in lifting spirits, stretching perceptions and strengthening goals is clear, but there has been too much experience of disappointed hopes for scepticism not to slip in quickly. So why confidently suggest dauntingly ambitious possibilities? In part, because our faith encourages us to do so. Justice is a repeated Biblical theme: "and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God." Anything less than commitment to global justice is a betrayal of love. In part, because the inequities are so enormous and clear. Half of humankind lives in or close to poverty, a fifth of us in conditions of severe deprivation. Addressing poverty has become the principal moral imperative of the age, in the way that confronting the arms race was the principal moral imperative in earlier decades. In part, because the world is richer than ever before in human history, has unprecedented technological capacity and therefore has a greater capacity to tackle injustice than ever before. The foundational requirement for campaigning for global economic justice is the vision of a just world linked with commitment of our lives to working for that goal. The core of most contemporary politics is the gaping hole where that commitment and the imagination about how to achieve it could be. The ideology of market fundamentalism has killed too much political reflection, vision, discourse and innovative action – but not all. The principal subject of the articles in this edition of Echoes is critiquing market fundamentalism, also known as neo-liberalism. Imagination about change begins with rigorous analysis and there is much tough commentary in this issue. There are also visions of what could be, proposals for policy change and practical suggestions for advocacy. Essential policy action includes improving national capacity for food production in many developing countries, debt cancellation, generous ODA, open markets in developed countries, decimation of military expenditure and inclusive national and global decision-making. Some other possibilities that are less well known are also essential. International cooperation about national tax policy and administration must be dramatically increased. Closing tax havens and other opportunities for tax avoidance and evasion would alone significantly increase revenue that is essential for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. To ensure adequate concerted work on efficient and honest national tax administration, establishment of a global tax authority is one of the highest priority global public goods. Additional external finance for development is also necessary if access to education and health services, to water and to transport and communication is to be achieved for all. A new issue of special drawing rights, a currency transaction tax and a carbon tax are all technically readily possible. Only political decisiveness is missing, and that can be influenced through effective campaigning. This is a particularly disturbing period. Not only are injustices inadequately addressed but also some countries are undermining the system of international institutions and treaties (that was painstakingly negotiated during the last half century) by failure to pay dues to the UN and to ratify and implement treaties. Strong advocacy of the international rules-based system and active support for it has become imperative. Clarity of purpose, analytical rigour, commitment to action and courage are urgently needed. Perhaps the growing alarm about the perverse directions of some countries, linked with the growing insecurity related to perceptions of globalisation will motivate increased action. The risk is that the widespread sense of powerlessness also due to the apparent dominance of immutable global forces will entrench passivity. But powerlessness is a choice. Everyone has the capacity for action. The future is not predetermined. There are innumerable ways of engaging that can be influential. Passionate conviction about the imperative of movement towards global econ-omic justice and that another world is possible are the best bases for effectiveness. John Langmore, director, |