Attac

Attac is an international network of activist groups formed in 1998 to campaign on issues related to Globalization, Finance, and Trade liberalization. It began in France and expanded into national and regional organizations across Europe, Americas, Africa, and Asia, engaging with movements such as the Alter-globalization movement, World Social Forum, and protests against institutions like the World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank. Attac has been associated with a range of public figures, NGOs, trade unions, and academic critics of neoliberal policy, including interactions with activists like Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, and Cédric Durand.

History

Attac originated in France in 1998 amid debates following the Asian financial crisis and the launch of the Euro. Founders and early supporters included activists, intellectuals, and farmers such as José Bové, economists influenced by Ernest Mandel and heterodox traditions, and civil society organizations tied to the Alter-globalization movement. The network organized demonstrations and campaigns targeting summits of the G8 summit, G20, World Trade Organization, European Union institutions like the European Commission and events at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings. Over the 2000s Attac federated national chapters in countries including Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, and Argentina, while engaging with broader coalitions such as Trade Union federations, academic collectives, and environmental groups like Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace.

Organisation and Structure

Attac developed a decentralized model with national associations, local committees, and international coordination bodies. National chapters established governance through assemblies and boards, often linking to political parties such as Parti Socialiste members, Partito Democratico actors, or collaborations with Syriza-aligned networks. International coordination involved networks of representatives communicating at assemblies and during events like the World Social Forum; these structures echoed practices used by NGOs such as Oxfam and Amnesty International while maintaining activist autonomy similar to Moves like Occupy. Funding sources varied: membership fees, donations, book sales, and solidarity funding with unions like the CGT or CGT (Argentina). Prominent intellectuals and scholars affiliated with Attac included figures connected to Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Sciences Po, and heterodox economists who published analyses resembling work from Institute for Policy Studies and Jubilee 2000 activists.

Campaigns and Activities

Attac campaigned on taxation of financial transactions, advocating a form of Tobin tax sometimes framed as a financial transaction tax; it targeted institutions including the European Central Bank, ECOFIN, and Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. Campaigns included protests at summits such as the G8 summit in Genoa and lobbying efforts in Brussels and national parliaments like the Assemblée nationale (France). Activities ranged from public education using pamphlets and books by authors similar to Susan George and Paul Krugman critiques, to direct action, street demonstrations, and coalition building with environmentalists, anti-war protesters opposed to decisions by NATO and supporters of debt relief movements inspired by Jubilee 2000. Attac also promoted alternatives to neoliberal policy, engaging with proposals like land reform discussions, public banking experiments seen in cities such as Milan and policy debates in Latin America involving governments of Venezuela and Bolivia.

Ideology and Positions

Attac's positions combined critiques of neoliberalism and global finance with advocacy for democratic regulation of markets. It supported measures such as a financial transaction tax, capital controls discussed in policy circles around the Bretton Woods legacy, debt relief campaigns akin to HIPC advocacy, and policies promoting social welfare models comparable to Scandinavian approaches in Sweden and Norway. Its ideological allies and interlocutors ranged from social democrats linked to Labour Party (UK) debates to ecosocialist and anti-capitalist theorists associated with Zapatista sympathizers and intellectuals like Immanuel Wallerstein and David Harvey.

Criticism and Controversies

Attac drew criticism from conservative and pro-market commentators such as those aligned with The Economist editorial stance, think tanks like the Cato Institute and Heritage Foundation, and some centrist politicians who accused it of anti-democratic tendencies or extremism. Controversies included debates over ties to political parties and social movements, internal disputes over strategy between reformist and radical factions similar to splits in groups like Syriza and Die Linke, and legal challenges in countries where authorities scrutinized activist funding and protest tactics, sometimes paralleling actions against groups like Extinction Rebellion and Anonymous. Some academics and journalists questioned Attac's economic prescriptions versus mainstream frameworks promoted by institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

Category:Political advocacy groups Category:Organizations established in 1998