Globalization: Economic Problems and Patents on Life

Abstract

U ovom priopćenju podnijetom za Okruglim stolom Globalizacija i nacionalna država u organizaciji Instituta društvenih znanosti Ivo Pilar u Zagrebu 8. ožujka 2000. godine, autor pristupa globalizaciji kao sinonimu za hegemonizam i imperijalizam i na primjeru razvoja biotehnologije i genskog inženjerstva pokazuje kako sprega između transnacionalnih korporacija i vlade Sjedinjenih Američkih Država dovodi do ekonomske, političke i vojne instrumentalizacije biotehnologije i njezine pretvorbe u svojevrstan biotehnološki imperijalizam. Institucionalni subjekti procesa globalizacije bile bi transnacionalne korporacije, a institucionalne mehanizme postizanja interesa tih kompanija čine Svjetska trgovinska organizacija (WTO) i Međunarodni monetarni fond (IMF). To je rezultat promašaja neoliberalnog pokusa čije se posljedice ogledaju u tome što globalizacija dovodi do ubrzanog uništenja okoliša, povećavanja siromaštva, destabilizacije društva, rušenja financijskog sistema nacionalnih država i ugrožavanja demokracije. Autor to pokazuje raščlambom pokušaja najvećih transnacionalnih korporacija da kontrolu globalnog snabdjevanja hranom, uz potporu američke vlade, ostvare potpunom zaštitom patentnog prava pomoću tzv. terminatora tehnologija, odnosno ugradnjom takvog sistema gena u biljku genetički modificirane sorte čijim se aktiviranjem, slično bombi sa zadrškom, uništava klijavost sjemena. Ova je tehnologija namijenjena zaštiti profita transnacionalnih korporacija, a vladi koja ima nad njom nadzor omogućuje da “neposlušne” države baci na koljena. Zato je jedan od najvažnijih preduvjeta ostvarenja socijalnog i ekonomskog napretka zemalja njihov nacionalni ekonomski suverenitet.In this conference paper given at the Round Table Globalization and National State in the organization of the Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar, Zagreb 8th March 2000, the author treats actual globalization as the synonym for hegemonism and imperialism, and in the case of the development of biotechnology and genetic engineering demonstrates how the network of connection (conjunction) between transnational corporations and the United States Government brings economic, political and military instrumentalization of biotechnology and its transformation into the specific biotechnological imperialism. Transnational corporations have been the institutional subjects in process of globalization, while WTO (World Trade Organization) and IMF (International Monetary Fund) serve as the institutional mechanisms for achieving interests of these companies. It has resulted from the mistake presented in the neoliberalistic experiment whose consequences have been reflected in the rapid destruction of environment, in the increase of poverty, in the destabilization of society, in the collapse of national states’ financial systems and in the geopardy of democracy brought out by the globalization. These consequences have been shown by the analysis of the attempts carried out by the biggest transnational corporations to control the global food supply with support of the US Government. Corporations would like to come in control of the global food supply with the total patent right protection aided by the so-called technology terminator, i.e. by building into the genetically modified plant’s sorts such a genes system which being activated destroys seeds germination just like the retaining bomb. This technology has been designed with the purpose to protect the transnational corporation profit, as well as to render possible for the governments that have a control of this technology to force “disobedient” states to their knees. That’s why the most important pre-condition for the social and economic development of the states is their national economic sovereignty

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