Transnational Youth Activism

There has been much talk in Dissent‘s pages and elsewhere of the need to develop strong new transnational institutions of labor and civil society that could counterbalance the power of global corporations. But in the face of serious linguistic, cultural, and institutional barriers—and with so many well-intentioned people throwing up their hands in post-ideological exasperation—these new transnational formations rarely take shape in the real world.

One small ray of hope: this past October 30 young activists in twenty-five countries conducted an internationally coordinated day of action in defense of workers’ rights. They held rallies in solidarity with the striking workers at the Han Young plant in Tijuana, Mexico; condemned Nike for its labor practices in Southeast Asia; and passed out leaflets in seven languages denouncing the proposed Multilateral Agreement on Investment, which would codify the Robert Rubin model of globalization.

This day of...