BY ZANNY BEGG
After the spectacular success of the M1 mobilisations many activists are turning their attention towards the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Brisbane, October 6-8, and the Commonwealth Business Council meeting in Melbourne, October 3, as the next major events on the anti-corporate movement's agenda.
The English ruling class used to boast that the "sun never set" on the British Empire; as it went down over colonies in Asia and the Pacific it rose again for a new day of British rule in Africa and the West Indies.
Reflecting the geographic spread of this empire, CHOGM brings together government representatives from more than 50 underdeveloped countries, including 15 African states. CHOGM's more controversial members include the new rulers of Fiji, the governments of Zimbabwe and Nigeria and the (albeit temporarily suspended) ruling military junta in Pakistan. CHOGM has always been dominated, however, by its four imperialist powers — Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
In the 1950s there was some discussion within the British ruling class of transforming CHOGM into a "global trading bloc", but this idea was soon abandoned because of the large number of Third World countries under the CHOGM umbrella which were regarded as an economic liability for the Commonwealth's imperialist powers.
As a result, the imperialist countries turned their attention to more lucrative spheres of economic influence: Britain to the European Community, Canada to the North American Free Trade Agreement (with the US and Mexico), and Australia and New Zealand to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation body.
Without a distinct trade focus CHOGM developed into a forum for brokering consensus between the needs of the Third World countries, which were part of the old British Commonwealth of Nations (the successor association of the British Empire), and the world's major economic powers — the US, Japan and the European Union. Usually, this consensus has run in favour of the CHOGM's imperialist member-states — grand sounding declarations on "democracy" and "good governance" are used to put pressure on recalcitrant Third World regimes to toe the West's line.
Occasionally, however, the tide has run in the other direction. During the 1980s, the anti-apartheid movement pressured the Commonwealth's African member states to have CHOGM impose economic sanctions against South Africa, much to the chagrin of Britain and Australia.
Since the fall of apartheid, and re-entry of South Africa into "normal" economic life, there has been renewed interest by London in CHOGM and the role it can play in furthering British investment and business opportunities across the globe, particularly in Africa.
In his first speech to parliament, British foreign minister Malcolm Rifkind described the Commonwealth as a "priceless asset" which provides a "unique entry point for Britain across five continents".
Former secretary general of CHOGM, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, declared at the Edinburgh meeting in 1987, "the Commonwealth means business and business needs the Commonwealth". During that meeting, a parallel Commonwealth Business Forum was established in London. This year the CBF will be held in Melbourne.
The CBF falls under the ambit of the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) which is made up of representatives from corporations based in Commonwealth countries. The deputy chairperson of the CBC is African National Congress member and black South African business mogul Cyril Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa has pointed out that the CBF is the distillation of the business interests of the Commonwealth, in which there are 17,000 listed companies and which contributes "25% of global trade and generates an annual trade of $2 trillion".
Plans are also being formulated for a Commonwealth Private Investment Initiative — a series of coordinated regional funds to mobilise capital for commercial investments in small- and medium-sized companies in developing Commonwealth countries.
The CBC has been quick to take advantage of the old colonial heritage to further business opportunities. For example, after the army stepped back from direct rule in Nigeria in 1999 the CBC hosted an investment conference in Abuja at which some 300 companies met to discuss private investment in Nigeria's telecommunications, oil, gas, water and transport industries.
During the Brisbane CHOGM three political issues look set to dominate — the new round of the World Trade Organisation, human rights and debt.
The Brisbane CHOGM will be the last international gathering before the WTO meeting in Qatar in November. Ramaphosa has pointed out that "CHOGM represents 40% of the membership of the World Trade Organisation".
During its November 1999 meeting in Durban, CHOGM issued the "Fancourt Declaration" which called for the implementation of the Uruguay Round of WTO trade negotiations. Despite claims from Queensland Premier Peter Beattie "that CHOGM is not a trade organisation", it is expected the Brisbane meeting of CHOGM will be used to pressure Third World countries to back the new round of WTO trade negotiations (which collapsed after the "Battle for Seattle" in November 1999).