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Greensboro, NC March 29, 2002
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Arias, Nader debate globalization
Katy Wurster
FORUM EDITOR
Ralph Nader, an influential
consumer advocate, and Oscar
Arias, former President of Costa
Rica, debated the effects of global
ization to a packed Dana Audito-
num.
The lecture was
sponsored by and part
of the Joseph M. Bryan
Distinguished Visiting
Professorship Series.
Junior Lucas Wolf
introduced Arias as
"one of the developing
world's most influential
voices," and described
his authorship of the
Arias Peace Plan in
1987. Arias received
the Nobel Prize for the
plan that same year.
Sophomore
Debbie Harris intro
duced Nader, whose ac
complishments stretch
from his publication of Unsafe at
Any Speed in 1965 to his 2000
Presidential candidacy and the
subsequent publishing of Crash
ing the Party: How to Tell the Truth
and Still Run for President.
"What makes Ralph Nader so
remarkable is his commitment to
actual people," Harris said.
Moderator Larry Schooler, a
reporter for WFDD, opened the
debate with "a rather elementary
question: what is globalization?"
Nader stated that the real is
sue is corporate globalization, as
opposed to civil or environmental
globalization, and cited several
recent trade agreements that sup
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Spoken-word artist Queen Godis (center) poses with Guilford Community peformers
at last week's Hip Hop Forum.
port the "primacy of commercial
trade over environmental, con
sumer, and health safety agree
ments."
"Poverty will be alleviated by
addressing four basic needs -
food, shelter, health care, and the
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Consumer advocate Ralph Nader and Nobel Laureate Oscar Arias visited Guilford March 21.
right to speak out," Nader said.
'These are the real standards of
living," none of which require in
ternational trade.
Alias defined globalization
more simply, as "the economic
and social development of the
world's poor countries." The fast
est way to correct the ills of pov
erty, he said, is to allow wide
spread and free access to global
markets. 'This means authentic
free trade, something which has
not yet been seen."
"Until poor countries can ex
port their goods, they will have no
choice but to keep exporting their
people," Arias said.
The discussion that followed
touched on NAFTA, the World
Trade Organization, the textile
industry, the Israeli/Palestinian
conflict, weapons funding, educa
tion, and military action against
Iraq.
Nader and Arias disagreed on
the specifics of many of these is
sues. For example. Arias stated
that NAFTA should be expanded
to include Central American
countries. Nader disagreed, claim
ing that "NAFTA has been a fail
ure" and that expanding it would
only accelerate existing trends.
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Despite their disagreement,
however, the speakers came to
gether on other issues. Both criti
cized the current White House ad
ministration. "We don't have cou
rageous leaders in our country,"
said Nader in response to a ques-
tion about U.S. in
volvement in the
Middle East. "I'm sorry
to say that today in
the White House we
have someone who
behaves far more like
a West Texas sheriff
than a president of the
United States."
"Unfortunately,
this country is too ar -
rogant to believe in di
plomacy," Arias
added. "If they sell
you cheap oil, you
support them."
Overall, Nader
and Arias shared, as
Arias said, "a vision for
WWW.NEWS-RECORD.COM, WWW.ARIAS.OR.CR
a world with less poverty and more
social justice." Although the meth
ods they each advocate are differ
ent, the ultimate goals are the
same.
'There is nothing glamorous
or naive or idealistic about peace,"
said Arias. "Peace is not a dream.
It is hard work."
PHOTOS BY JUSTIN BETSON