ABSTRACT

The rise of the new imperialism has called forth a new antiimperialism. Beginning with the 1999 anti-capitalist demonstration in Seattle the entire landscape of politics has been transformed by the growth of a worldwide anti-globalisation and anti-war movement. February 15 2003 is its high point so far. On that day simultaneous demonstrations against the coming Iraq war took place in 600 towns and cities on every continent in the world. It is beyond doubt that these demonstrations were the greatest ever globally co-ordinated day of political protest in history. Many of the demonstrations were, like that in London, the single biggest political demonstration in the history of the country.1 In the first three months of 2003, according to a study by one French sociologist, some 36 million people took part in anti-war protests around the globe.2