ABSTRACT
As recently as 1995, some writers referred to the “eclipse” of civil society by government and market forces. 2 Yet in the last few years, and especially since the Seattle meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in November 1999, newspaper headlines have been grabbed on several occasions by protesting civil society organizations (CSOs), especially nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Their targets: the international financial institutions, the industrial country governments, and multinational corporations. Their actions: not only violent protests that naturally attract media attention, but also non-violent campaigns for such causes as debt reduction for poor countries. An astonishing revival, by any standards.
