Panel discuss multiple crises of capitalism and the importance of uniting progressive organizations worldwide
On Saturday morning (November 8), people affected by dams from 45 countries participated in a panel discussion on the international situation affecting the economy and the lives of populations in different parts of the world, especially regarding the model of energy production and distribution. The debate, held during the International Meeting of Affected People in Belém (PA), addressed the role of the United States in current geopolitics and the importance of strengthening strategic ties between progressive movements that confront neofascism in various regions of the planet.
Participating in the panel were Erika Méndez, from the Environmental Justice organization of Mozambique; Jaron Browne, from the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance; and the moderators Andreia Vides (Catalonia) and Moisés Borges, from the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB).
In her speech, Erika Méndez highlighted the importance of the Movimiento de Afectados por Represas (MAR), an organization born from the leadership of affected communities—workers, women, Black people, and Indigenous people—to fight against environmental, climate, and human rights violations perpetrated by transnational corporations responsible for dams. She noted, however, that there are still major challenges to strengthen this international network, including due to racist migration policies. According to Erika, three people from Mozambique who were to travel with her to the meeting were unable to obtain visas due to arbitrary policies. Many other African leaders were prevented from participating for the same reason. Erika reported that African communities affected by large energy and infrastructure projects, such as dams and mega-gas projects, face the power of large capitalist companies, which have up to three times more resources than many countries, such as Mozambique.
“These companies write their own laws and pressure governments to approve legislation that benefits them, to the detriment of the population’s interests. Therefore, energy projects are not created to meet the needs of the people, but rather those of the companies,” she stated.
Even with the rise of corporate power, Erika reminded everyone that the capitalist model is experiencing a profound social, environmental, political, and economic crisis. “The United States economy grew by only 0.25% in 2023, due to policies of investment in wars and confrontations with China and even European allies. The neo-fascism we see growing is, in fact, a reaction from the global bourgeoisie that fears losing its dominance. Therefore, they act to block progressive and climate-related actions. It is important that we continue to strengthen ourselves and act together,” she stated.
The Growth of Experiences of Resistance in the United States
Jaron Browne addressed the political situation in the United States, analyzing the growing wave of authoritarianism in the country, which, according to him, is not explained solely by partisan factors, but reflects a profound crisis marked by the State’s inability to respond to the historical mobilization of indigenous peoples, Black communities, students, and other social groups in active resistance. He highlighted that economic debates are directly linked to issues of race and gender.
Like Erika, Browne stated that the belligerent American posture reveals the elites’ fear of movements that refuse to bow to state violence, citing the anti-racist movement that gained strength after the murder of George Floyd and the rise of new leaders, such as the current mayor of New York, who is Muslim and an immigrant. For him, these phenomena are the result of the strengthening of popular organizations that operate outside the traditional circuits of power.
Browne reminded the audience that “we are living in an era of profound transition,” in which the Earth’s vital systems are under threat because of an economic model that extracts, exploits, and degrades both workers and nature. For him, therefore, a Just Transition represents a structural change, built democratically, that abandons the logic of exploitation and bets on the regeneration of ecosystems and the well-being of people.
Carlos Vainer, professor emeritus at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), presented an incisive overview of the role of territorial scales, fragmentation, and the tensions of neoliberal globalization in Brazil. He highlighted that the ongoing transformations, across structures, conjunctures, and periods, cannot be understood merely as technical or administrative changes, but as profound ruptures involving the mode of production and forms of global integration. For Vainer, the dominant model of internationalization, centered on the imposition of the market and a single way of thinking, produces adverse effects. He argued that democratic internationalization must be based on respect for the knowledge, ways of life, and cultures of the world’s peoples, as well as their economies.
Discussion among affected people brought forth perspectives from the different countries
Participants gathered in small groups to discuss current events and contribute analyses based on the realities of their countries and communities.
According to Faby Espinal, affected by the Río Masipedro hydroelectric project and a participant in one of the groups, the analysis of the international context needs to consider the experiences and realities of the Global South, and not just the hegemonic views imposed by the North. She stated that it is necessary to break with the conception of power centralized in the State and traditional party representations, valuing community and territorial forms of organization.
“If we continue to analyze the context only from the hegemonic vision of the North, we will always end up with a conception of power tied to the State, leaving aside community politics and the experience of indigenous peoples,” she said.
Faby also reinforced the importance of building a political thought specific to the Latin American continent, detached from the traditional categories of right and left, and inspired by the ways of life and resistance of the peoples who sustain life on the planet.
“We need to create our own political ideology, a way of being that comes from our experience as a continent that is sustaining life globally,” she added.
Other participants also highlighted the need to problematize the energy transition proposed by capitalism, which, according to them, is not fair and only seeks to maintain the hegemony of large corporations. They also advocated for the expansion of spaces for popular education, noting that formal education rarely addresses the perspectives and histories of resistance of social organizations.
