Lisbon Meeting 10-12 November 2006, Contribution of the
Brazilian CP (PCB)
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From: Portuguese CP, Monday, November 13, 2006
http://www.pcb.org.br , mailto:pcb@pcb.org.br
==================================================

Sexta, 10 Novembro 2006

Globalization and contemporary capitalism

Contribuition of the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB) -
Edmilson Costa*

The on going globalization taking place in almost every
part of the world is a concrete part of reality and has
producing a group of mutations in every sector of mankind's
social life. These changes are, therefore, strongly marking
global policy, global economy, the labor area and the
cultural traditions in every part of the planet, influenced
by means of communication or by financial-economic power of
global corporations, rather financial or productive ones.
As we agree with it or not, globalization is an ordinary
fact that fulfills our reality, since the tooth paste that
we use, the clothes we wear, the canned food we eat, the
computer we use, the TV show we watch, the bank where we
receive our salary or do business with, the internet we
surf, among thousands of other aspects of our daily lives.
So, globalization is a typical phenomenon of contemporary
capitalism. It differs from mercantilism, industrial
revolution and the monopoly period, by the group of new
phenomena that it brings among itself. For the
transformations that it provoques within the capitalist
system, globalization can be considered a qualitative new
step in the capitalist way of production, a phase in which
capitalism has completed its historical growth, with
productive and financial internationalization, a period in
which burghership from central States started to extract in
a generic way value from outside its national borders and a
moment in which capitalism has globally unified the capital
cycle. From globalization on economic crises, those that
were asymmetric between countries before it, started to
become international symmetric capital crises.

PRODUCTIVE GLOBALIZATION

The internationalization of production that started in
the mid-fifties was the starting point for the economy
globalization. In producing internationally, in a standard
way, in every part of the world, the great capital begin to
have the possibility to use the best means available
worldwide, in terms of raw material, labor force, in the
case of peripheric countries, credit facilitation, among
other things, which permitted it to recover its profit
rates and reconfigure the world's productive system. With
productive globalization emerge new areas of production,
such as information technologies and the internet,
microelectronics, robotics, genetic engineering,
biotechnology, new materials, artificial intelligence
elements, nanotechnology, which characteristics represent a
third industrial revolution. While this new industry
structures its development, old production areas typical
from the second industrial revolution, such as
metal-mechanics, chemistry, plastic etc, go loosing
importance in face of globalization.
Productive globalization is controlled by transnational
corporations. By economic power and influence that they do
to countries and governments, transnational corporations
act like an advance regiment of the great capital,
organizing its interests and its global action. The weight
of these big corporations is as such that many of them owns
an income bigger than the national income of many nations.
For example, the seven largest transnational
corporations have a sales income bigger than China's
national income, the highest population on Earth; General
Motors has a business volume bigger than the 48 Least
Developed countries together (Tussaint, 2001). These
corporations control the smash majority of technological
innovations (95% of scientific research and development is
made in OECD countries) and only the commerce between
headquarters and affiliates represent 40% of global
commerce (UNCTAD, 2000).

FINACIAL GLOBALIZATION

If the changes in the productive field can be
considered extraordinary, it's in the financial field that
globalization is most developed. Fake capital followed the
path of transnational corporations and also reached to
internationalize its business. It overcame national laws,
structured a global currency market (Eurodollars) in the
sixties and the seventies, opened affiliates worldwide and
started to operate in a global scale, in a process that
represented the international currency plow privatization.
However, today's financial globalization only defined its
framework with the deregulation of bank activities, the
capital flow liberalization and the emergency of high
interest rates as regulating factors of global economy,
during the Reagan's, in the United states, and Tatcher's,
in England, government periods.

With this new conjuncture fake capital gained total freedom
to develop, specially because new economic agents pension
funds, mutual funds, insurance companies came aggressively
into the market, even taking from traditional banks the
leadership in financial operations. In an environment
completely deregulated, economic agents created an
impressive variety of "new" financial products, specially
the so called derivatives, financial operations derivated
from a financial operation with real actives, which
business volume represents, nowadays, around two thirds of
speculative investments. The more business grow in
financial orbit, the more financial agents increment
speculative flexibility and creativity, in a frenesi that
have transformed the financial sphere in the privileged
locus of the dynamics of modern capitalism.

Anchored by information technology, financial market begin
to have the possibility of "valueing" money 24 hours a day,
by just adjusting its applications to the time frame of
various countries. Any investor can, today, negotiate in
the Chicago's financial market in the morning, in Brazil in
the afternoon, and in Hong Kong at night. Which is, fake
capital broke the barriers of time and space in continuing
auto-adding itself and started to have a degree of
auto-determination ever saw in the history of capitalism.
Just to have an idea of the dimension of business in the
financial field, every day US$ 1,8 trillion dollars are
negotiated, sum much higher that all business in the
productive orbit put together. And specialists arithmetic's
(Richard, 2000) estimate that, in 1997, were already
circulating in the financial sphere, US$53 trillion, almost
twice the global total income.

This immense mass of financial resources acts today, as
mentioned by the Financial Times (Chesnais, 1986), as
politics, jury and judge of global economic activities. It
has the capacity of revert governmental policies, Central
Banks' decisions and even the destiny of the global working
market. This because financial globalization imposes its
logic to the business group and imprisoned one by one every
economic agent, specially productive corporations, the
State and its budget. Today, most of the profits of
productive enterprises come from financial speculation,
while an on growing part of the State's budget is destined
to pay for interest of the intern public debt, one of the
main instruments that feed global speculation.

NEOLIBERALISM

However, the group of main changes operated in the society
were only possible because, by the late 70's, occurred a
qualitative change in the composition of the dominant
classes in central States, afterwards by the elections of
president Reagan in the United States and the Prime
Minister Tatcher in England. The old elite bond to the
Monopoly State Capitalism, which power were consolidated by
the 1930's and, specially after the Second World war, were
replaced in the power center of the Imperial Triad by a new
block of more aggressive and more reacting social forces.

These forces commanded politically and economically all
other sectors of burghership and imposed a new global
order, based on neoliberalism, as a form of socio-economic
organization of the society and the rentism as a private
instrument of accumulation. This new dominant block leads
the globalization process and is today in the center of
world power, reaching to configure the world on its own
image and applying a sort of historical class revenge
against the working class.

A NEW PHASE OF IMPERIALISM

In this sense, globalization represents a new phase of
capitalism, a period in which this means of production
reaches its total matureness and turn itself in a complete
global system. Untill the previous period to globalization,
capitalism was complete in relation to only two variables
from circulation orbit global commerce and capitals
exportation. But, in expanding globalization to the
productive and financial spheres, as well as to other
sectors of social life, the system globally unified the
capital cycle, closing with this a process begun with the
British revolution of 1640 (Costa, 2002).

In historical terms, globalization is a phenomenon of our
time, an unique singularity of capitalism built on since
the second half of the 20th Century. It differs from the
first and the second industrial revolutions because is
already born without the possibility of the full
development of productive forces and fulfill its desires
completely, due to structural limitations of capitalism in
this period of History. Globalization embodied radical
technological innovations that allowed productive forces a
huge development, but the global productive system does not
have the conditions to develop itself completely due to its
own contradictions and, specially, to global insufficiency
of aggregated demand.

In the very moment that capitalism has the best potential
conditions to develop its productive forces, it's exactly
in this moment in which it is limited by the aggregated
global demand. The new technologies, the productive and
managemental reestructuration cuff the system in an web of
contradictions that express themselves clearly in the fact
that every single unit of living work spared represent a
field of political and economic difficulties, with the
aggravation that, while in the first and second industrial
revolutions people tried to solve the problem of aggregated
demand, respectively, by reducing working hours and the
enlargement of the services sector, globalization emerges
in the moment when there are no more sectors to fulfill
neither capitalists are willing to reduce working hours. It
rebounds, in a complete way, the original contradiction of
the system, that expresses itself between the social
character of production and the private appropriation of
its results.

Must be highlighted that imperialism theorists wrote that
this phase of capitalism would be a sort of entering room
to socialism. I seems that there were a certain optimism in
this forecasting, once in that time monopolized capitalism
was only in its beginning of its international maturing
process, and wasn't, therefore, in full conditions for
dialectic transformations. Only now, with globalization,
capitalism closes the cycle of its historical development.
In this perspective, we can say that now we are much closer
from a radical transformation in the capitalism way of
production than we were in the beginning of the 20th
Century.

As every thing in nature follows the dialectic law, we can
say that the capitalist system had its effective
development with the industrial revolution, passed through
a superior phase with the emergency of monopolies and
completely matured with contemporary globalization.
Therefore, once it has fulfilled its historical role of
international developer of productive forces and the
circulation orbit, it tends to suffer profound
transformations that will change its quality as a way of
production, as happened with other socio-economic
formations before it.

Its appearing globalized splendor hides a set of original
contradictions that reproduce themselves in now amplified
bases due to globalization. Therefore, to understand the
globalization phenomenon and the possible transformations
of a system now complete we must also look to the fact that
a transformation qualitatively new only could be effective
if it is done from the heart of the system, where the class
struggle has the conditions to pulse more intensively.

It is very true that the silly bonds will continue to
fulfill an essential role to the general weakness of the
capital, as a global form of domination. But the profound
crises only will be able to configure a terminal statute
when reaches the power center, the heart of the imperial
triad. In other words: the capitalism general crisis only
will be mature when reaches the United States of America,
the European Union and Japan (Costa, 2000).

With globalization, we can say that the system comes closer
to a limit of material reproduction, having in mind that if
capitalism would completely develop its productive
potential, there would be a global crisis of super
production. This contradiction explains the finacialization
phenomenon of richness that presents itself nowadays as the
functional opposite of the incapacity of the system to
develop its productive forces. That is, exciding capitals,
avoided of reproduce themselves in the productive sphere,
will search, now, a escape route to the front of financial
orbit, as this could liberate them from the Judgment Day to
the reality of the Value Law.

"In this new desperate adventure, speculative capital
carries with itself all other capital sectors to the
speculation logic and, with that, deeps the capitalism
general crisis, once that, in long terms, it is impossible
the reproduction of capital without obey the Value Law. The
creation of richness in the financial orbit is an adventure
without future, a mirage capable of taking for a moment
part of the capitalists to delusion, blinding the global
site of future. However, as much this model is profound,
the more the possibility of a general system crises
grow"(Costa, 2000).

In the political point of view, despite de defeat of the
first experience of socialism, the capitalist system didn't
transform itself in a reference to mankind neither
destroyed the perspective to the construction of a society
without classes. There is the real possibility that the
crisis originated from the failure of neoliberalism opens a
new and prodigious global revolutionary situation, where
the question of socialism reappears with a bigger vitality
than the one that appears with the monopolies in the
beginning of the 20th Century, only that now the socialist
forces will be free from the deformations and detours that
occurred in the recent socialist past.

Beyond that, for more paradoxal that would appear,
globalization is building the bases for an abundant
society, once the development of productive forces will
accelerate extraordinarily work productivity. However, as
we all know, the capitalist system has no compromise with
social progress and, therefore, won't be able to satisfy
the material needs of the population. Even then, these
sophisticated productive forces will give the objective
elements to the society of abundant goods and services. If
we achieve the structural transformations of capitalism in
parallel of the system global crisis, we would already
possess the material bases for the construction of a
communist society.

*EDMILSON COSTA is PhD in Economy by the Campinas
University UNICAMP, with a post-doctoral degree by the
Human Sciences and Philosophy Institute (UNICAMP) and is
the Author of Imperialismo (1986), A Pol�tica Salarial no
Brasil (1997), Um Projeto para o Brasil (1998). He is
member of the Central Committee and the Commission of
National Policy of the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB).

Lisbon Meeting 10-12 November 2006, Contribution of
Brazilian CP [Fr.]
-------------------------------------------------
From: Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism, Thursday,
April 12, 2007
http://www.pcb.org.br , mailto:pcb@pcb.org.br
==================================================

Rencontre des Partis Communistes et Ouvriers
Lisbonne 10-12 novembre 2006

Contribution du PC Br�silien (PCB) par Edmilson Costa(*)

Sexta, 10 novembre 2006

Globalisation et capitalisme contemporain

La globalisation en cours dans presque toutes les parties
du monde est une partie concr�te de la r�alit� et a produit
un groupe de mutations dans tous les secteurs de la vie
sociale de l'humanit�. Ces changements marquent fortement
la politique globale, l'�conomie globale, le domaine du
travail et les traditions culturelles partout sur la
plan�te, influenc�s par les moyens de communication ou par
la puissance �conomique et financi�re des multinationales,
qu'elles soient financi�res ou productives. Que nous
l'acceptions ou non, la globalisation est un fait ordinaire
qui fait partie de notre r�alit� comme le dentifrice que
nous utilisons, les habits que nous portons, les aliments
que nous mangeons, l'ordinateur que nous utilisons, la t�l�
que nous regardons, la banque o� nous recevons notre
salaire ou avec laquelle nous sommes en affaires,
l'Internet sur lequel nous surfons, parmi les milliers
d'autres aspects de notre vie quotidienne. Ainsi, la
globalisation est un ph�nom�ne typique du capitalisme
contemporain. Elle diff�re du mercantilisme, de la
r�volution industrielle et de la p�riode monopolistique,
par le groupe de ph�nom�nes nouveaux qu'elle apporte avec
elle. Pour les transformations qu'elle provoque �
l'int�rieur du syst�me capitaliste, la globalisation peut
�tre consid�r�e comme un nouveau pas qualitatif dans le
mode de production capitaliste, une phase dans laquelle le
capitalisme a termin� sa croissance historique, avec
l'internationalisation productive et financi�re, une
p�riode dans laquelle la bourgeoisie des �tats centraux a
commenc� � extraire d'une fa�on g�n�rique la valeur de
l'ext�rieur de ses fronti�res nationales et un moment dans
lequel le capitalisme a globalement unifi� le cycle du
capital. De globalisation en crises �conomiques, ce qui
�tait asym�trique entre pays avant elle, a commenc� �
devenir des crises sym�triques du capital international.

GLOBALISATION PRODUCTIVE

L'internationalisation de la production qui a commenc� au
milieu des ann�es 50 a �t� le point de d�part de la
globalisation de l'�conomie. En produisant
internationalement, de fa�on standard, dans toutes les
parties du monde, le grand capital a commenc� � avoir la
possibilit� d'utiliser les meilleurs moyens disponibles
dans le monde, en termes de mati�res premi�res, de force de
travail, dans le cas de pays de la p�riph�rie, facilit�s de
cr�dit, parmi d'autres choses, qui lui ont permis de
r�cup�rer son taux de profit et de reconfigurer le syst�me
productif mondial. Avec la globalisation productive
�mergent d'autres domaines de production comme les
technologies de l'information et l'Internet, la
micro�lectronique, la robotique, le g�nie g�n�tique, la
biotechnologie, les nouveaux mat�riaux, les �l�ments
d'intelligence artificielle, les nanotechnologies, dont les
caract�ristiques repr�sentent une troisi�me r�volution
industrielle. Tandis que cette nouvelle industrie structure
son d�veloppement, les vieux domaines de production
typiques de la 2�me r�volution industrielle, comme la
m�tallurgie et la m�canique, la chimie, le plastique, etc,
perdent leur importance face � la globalisation.
La globalisation productive est contr�l�e par des
multinationales. Par la puissance �conomique et l'influence
qu'elles exercent sur les pays et les gouvernements ; les
multinationales agissent comme un r�giment avanc� du grand
capital, organisant ses int�r�ts et son action globale. Le
poids de ces grandes multinationales est tel que beaucoup
d'entre elles poss�dent un revenu plus grand que le revenu
national de nombreux pays.
Par exemple, les 7 plus grandes multinationales ont un
revenu plus grand que celui de la Chine, pays le plus
peupl� de la plan�te ; General Motors a un volume
d'affaires plus grand que les 48 pays les plus pauvres pris
ensemble. Ces multinationales contr�lent l'�crasante
majorit� des innovations technologiques (95% de la
recherche et d�veloppement est fait dans les pays de
l'OCDE), et le seul commerce entre maisons m�res et
filiales repr�sente 40% du commerce global (UNCTAD, 2000)

GLOBALISATION FINANCIERE

Si les changements dans le domaine de la production peuvent
�tre consid�r�s comme extraordinaires, c'est dans le
domaine financier que la globalisation est la plus
d�velopp�e. Des capitaux factices ont suivi le chemin des
multinationales et ont r�ussi � internationaliser leurs
affaires. Ils ont contourn� les lois nationales, structur�
un march� global de devises (eurodollars) dans les ann�es
60 et 70, ouvert des filiales dans le monde et commenc� �
fonctionner � une �chelle globale, dans un processus qui
repr�sentait la privatisation du ratissage des devises
internationales. Cependant, la globalisation financi�re
aujourd'hui a seulement d�fini son cadre avec la
d�r�gulation des activit�s bancaires, la lib�ralisation des
flux de capitaux et la pression des taux d'int�r�ts �lev�s
comme facteurs de r�gulation de l'�conomie globale, pendant
les ann�es Reagan,aux USA, et Thatcher en Angleterre.

Avec cette nouvelle conjoncture les capitaux factices ont
conquis une libert� totale de d�veloppement, surtout parce
que de nouveaux agents �conomiques fonds de pension, fonds
mutuels, compagnies d'assurance sont venus avec
agressivit� sur le march�, reprenant m�me aux banques
traditionnelles la direction d'op�rations financi�res. Dans
un environnement compl�tement d�r�gul�, les agents
�conomiques ont cr�� une impressionnante vari�t� de
produits financiers, en particulier ceux appel�s produits
d�riv�s, des op�rations financi�res d�riv�es d'une
op�ration financi�re dot� d'actifs r�els, dont le volume
repr�sente, de nos jours, � peu pr�s deux tiers des
investissements sp�culatifs. Plus les affaires augmentent
dans l'orbite financi�re, plus les agents financiers
augmentent leur flexibilit� et leur cr�ativit�
sp�culatives, dans une fr�n�sie qui a transform� la sph�re
financi�re en un lieu privil�gi� de la dynamique du
capitalisme moderne.

Ancr� par la technologie de l'information, le march�
financier commence � avoir la possibilit� de � faire
travailler � l'argent 24heures par jour, rien qu'en
ajustant ses proc�dures aux fuseaux horaires des diff�rents
pays. N'importe quel investisseur peut aujourd'hui n�gocier
sur le march� financier de Chicago le matin, du Br�sil
l'apr�s-midi, et de HongKong le soir. Cela signifie que les
capitaux factices ont rompu les barri�res du temps et de
l'espace en continuant de prolif�rer et ont commenc� �
avoir un degr� d'autod�termination jamais vu dans
l'histoire du capitalisme. Rien que pour avoir une id�e de
la dimension des affaires dans le domaine financier,
chaque jour, 18000 milliards de dollars sont n�goci�s, soit
beaucoup plus que toutes les affaires de l'orbite
productive prises ensemble. Et les sp�cialistes (Richard,
2000) estiment que, en 1997, 53000 milliards de dollars US
circulaient dans la sph�re financi�re, presque le double du
revenu total globalis�.

Cette masse immense de ressources financi�res agit
aujourd'hui, comme il est dit dans le Financial Times
(Chesnais, 1986), comme une politique, un jury et un juge
des activit�s �conomiques globales. Elle a la capacit� de
renverser une politique gouvernementale, des d�cisions
d'une Banque Centrale et m�me la destin�e du march� du
travail globalis�. Ceci parce que la globalisation
financi�re impose sa logique au groupement des affaires et
capture tous les agents �conomiques les uns apr�s les
autres, en particulier les soci�t�s productives, l'�tat et
son budget. Aujourd'hui, la plupart des profits des
entreprises productives viennent de la sp�culation
financi�re, tandis qu'une partie croissante du budget de
l'�tat est destin� � payer l'int�r�t de la dette publique
interne, un des instruments principaux d'alimentation de la
sp�culation globale.

NEOLIBERALISME

Cependant, le groupe des grands changements effectu�s dans
la soci�t� n'ont �t� possibles que parce que, dans la fin
des ann�es 70, il s'est produit un changement qualitatif
dans la composition des classes dominantes dans les �tats
du centre, apr�s l'�lection du pr�sident Reagan aux USA et
de Thatcher en Angleterre. La vieille �lite li�e au
capitalisme monopoliste d'�tat, dont le pouvoir s'�tait
consolid� dans les ann�es 30 et surtout apr�s la 2�me
guerre mondiale, a �t� remplac�e dans le centre du pouvoir
de la Triade Imp�riale par un nouveau bloc de forces
sociales plus r�actives et plus agressives.

Ces forces commandaient politiquement et �conomiquement
tous les autres secteurs de la bourgeoisie et a impos� un
nouvel ordre global, bas� sur le n�olib�ralisme, en tant
que forme d'organisation socio-�conomique de la soci�t� et
la rente comme un instrument priv� d'accumulation. Ce
nouveau bloc dominant conduit le processus de globalisation
et constitue aujourd'hui le centre du pouvoir mondial,
parvenant � configurer le monde � son image et appliquant
une sorte de revanche de classe historique contre la classe
ouvri�re.

UNE NOUVELLE PHASE DE L'IMPERIALISME

Dans ce sens, la globalisation repr�sente une nouvelle
phase du capitalisme, une p�riode dans laquelle ces moyens
de production atteignent leur totale maturit� et se
transforment en syst�me global complet. Jusqu'� la p�riode
pr�c�dent la globalisation, le capitalisme se contentait de
seulement deux variables de l'orbite de circulation : le
commerce global et l'exportation des capitaux. Mais, en
�tendant la globalisation aux sph�res productives et
financi�res, ainsi qu'aux secteurs de la vie sociale, le
syst�me a globalement unifi� le cycle du capital, refermant
de la sorte un processus commenc� avec la R�volution
Britannique de 1640 (Costa, 2002).

En termes historiques, la globalisation est un ph�nom�ne
de notre temps, une singularit� unique du capitalisme
construite depuis la 2�me moiti� du 20�me si�cle. Elle
diff�re des 1�re et 2�me r�volution industrielles car elle
est n�e sans la possibilit� de plein d�veloppement des
forces productives et satisfait compl�tement ses d�sirs, �
cause des limitations structurelles du capitalisme dans
cette p�riode de l'histoire. La globalisation incorpore les
innovations technologiques radicales qui ont permis
l'�norme d�veloppement des forces productives, mais le
syst�me productif global n'a pas les conditions pour se
d�velopper compl�tement � cause de ses propres
contradictions et, surtout, de l'insuffisance globale de la
demande.

Au moment m�me o� le capitalisme a les meilleures
conditions potentielles pour d�velopper ses forces
productives, il est limit� par la demande globale totale.
Les nouvelles technologies, la restructuration productive
et manag�riale bloque le syst�me dans un r�seau de
contradictions qui s'expriment clairement dans le fait que
chaque simple unit� de travail vivant economis�e repr�sente
un domaine de difficult�s �conomiques et politiques, avec
l'aggravation que, tandis que pendant les 1�re et 2�me
r�volutions industrielles les peuples essayaient de
r�soudre le probl�me de la demande totale, respectivement,
en r�duisant les heures de travail et l'�largissement du
secteur des services, la globalisation �merge � un moment
o� il n' y a plus de secteurs � satisfaire et o� les
capitalistes ne veulent pas r�duire les heures de travail.
Cela repose, de fa�on compl�te la contradiction originelle
du syst�me qui s'exprime dans le caract�re social de la
production et de l'appropriation priv�e de ses r�sultats.

On doit souligner que les th�oriciens de l'imp�rialisme ont
�crit que cette phase du capitalisme serait une sorte de
pi�ce d'entr�e vers le socialisme. Il semble qu'il y avait
un certain optimisme dans cette pr�vision, car en ce temps
le capitalisme monopoliste en �tait au d�but de son
processus de maturation internationale, et n'�tait pas, par
cons�quent, dans les pleines conditions pour des
transformations dialectiques. Seulement maintenant, avec la
globalisation, le capitalisme ferme le cycle de son
d�veloppement historique. Dans cette perspective, nous
pouvons dire que maintenant nous sommes beaucoup plus pr�s
d'une transformation radicale dans le mode de production
capitaliste que nous l'�tions au d�but du 20�me si�cle.

Comme toute chose dans la nature suit la loi dialectique,
nous pouvons dire que le syst�me capitaliste a eu son
d�veloppement effectif avec la r�volution industrielle, est
pass� par une phase sup�rieure avec l'�mergence des
monopoles et a atteint sa compl�te maturit� avec la
globalisation contemporaine. Par cons�quent, une fois qu'il
a rempli son r�le historique de d�veloppeur international
des forces productives et d'�change, il tend � subir de
profondes transformations qui vont changer sa qualit� en
tant que mode de production, comme cela est arriv� �
d'autres formations socio-�conomiques avant lui.

Son apparente splendeur globalis�e cache une s�rie de
contradictions originelles qui se reproduisent sur des
bases maintenant amplifi�es dues � la globalisation. Par
cons�quent, pour comprendre le ph�nom�ne de la
globalisation et les transformations possibles d'un syst�me
maintenant achev� nous devons aussi regarder le fait qu'une
transformation qualitativement nouvelle ne peut �tre
effective que si elle est r�alis�e � partir du cur du
syst�me, o� la lutte des classes a les conditions de
pousser plus intens�ment.

Il est tr�s vrai que les liens absurdes continueront �
jouer un r�le essentiel pour la faiblesse g�n�rale du
capital, en tant que forme globale de domination. Mais
seules les crises profondes pourront configurer un statut
final quand sera atteint le centre du pouvoir, le cur de la
triade imp�riale. En d'autres mots : la crise g�n�rale du
capitalisme ne sera m�re que lorsque seront atteints les
USA, l'UE et le Japon (Costa, 2000).

Avec la globalisation, nous pouvons dire que le syst�me
arrive tout pr�s d'une limite de reproduction mat�rielle,
en ayant � l'esprit que si le capitalisme d�veloppait son
potentiel productif, il y aurait une crise globale de
surproduction. Cette contradiction explique le ph�nom�ne de
financiarisation des richesses qui se pr�sente aujourd'hui
comme l'oppos� fonctionnel de l'incapacit� du syst�me de
d�velopper ses forces productives. C'est-�-dire que le
capital exc�dentaire, en �vitant de se reproduire dans la
sph�re productive, va chercher une �chappatoire vers
l'orbite financi�re, comme si cela pouvait le lib�rer du
Jour du Jugement Dernier � la r�alit� de la Loi de la
Valeur.

� Dans cette nouvelle aventure d�sesp�r�e, le capital
sp�culatif porte avec lui tous les autres secteurs du
capital vers la logique de la sp�culation et, avec cela,
approfondit la crise g�n�rale du capitalisme, car, � long
terme, il est impossible de reproduire le capital sans
ob�ir � la Loi de la Valeur. La cr�ation de richesse dans
l'orbite financi�re est une aventure sans futur, un mirage
capable d'amener pour un moment une partie du capitalisme �
la folie des grandeurs, en aveuglant le site global du
futur. Cependant, plus ce mod�le est profond, plus la
possibilit� d'une crise g�n�rale du syst�me augmente �
(Costa, 2000).

Du point de vue politique, en d�pit de la d�faite de la
premi�re exp�rience du socialisme, le syst�me capitaliste
ne s'est pas transform� en une r�f�rence pour l'humanit� et
il n'a pas non plus d�truit la perspective de la
construction d'une soci�t� sans classes. Il y a une
possibilit� r�elle pour que la crise engendr�e par l'�chec
du n�olib�ralisme ouvre une situation r�volutionnaire
globale prodigieuse, o� la question du socialisme
r�appara�tra avec une plus grande vitalit� que celle qui
est apparue au d�but du 20�me si�cle, tandis que maintenant
les forces socialistes seront lib�r�es des d�formations et
des d�tournements qui sont arriv�s dans le pass� socialiste
r�cent.

De plus, aussi paradoxal que cela puisse para�tre, la
globalisation est en train de construire les bases d'une
soci�t� d'abondance, car le d�veloppement des forces
productives va acc�l�rer extraordinairement la productivit�
du travail. Cependant, comme nous le savons tous, le
syst�me capitaliste ne se compromet pas avec le progr�s
social et par cons�quent, ne sera pas capable de satisfaire
les besoins mat�riels de la population. . M�me alors, ces
forces productives sophistiqu�es donneront les �l�ments
objectifs pour une soci�t� de biens et de services
abondants. Si nous r�alisons les transformations
structurelles du capitalisme en parall�le avec la crise
globale du syst�me, nous poss�derons d�j� les bases
mat�rielles pour la construction d'une soci�t� communiste.

(*) EDMILSON COSTA est PhD en �conomie, post gradu� de
l'Institut de Philosophie et des Sciences Humaines. Il est
l'auteur de Imp�rialisme (1986), une politique salariale au
Br�sil (1986) un projet pour le Br�sil (1997). Il est
membre du CC et de la Commission de Politique Nationale du
PCB. 

[Remerciements a PADS pour la traduction en Fran�ais]

Lisbon Meeting 10-12 November 2006, Brazilian CP [Pt.]
-------------------------------------------------
From: Portuguese Communist Party, Wednesday, November 29,
2006
http://www.pcb.org.br , mailto:pcb@pcb.org.br
==================================================

Interven��o do Partido Comunista Brasileiro (PCB)
Sexta, 10 Novembro 2006

Interven��o de Edmilson Costa do PCB

A globaliza��o em curso em praticamente todas as regi�es do
planeta � um dado concreto da realidade e vem produzindo um
conjunto de muta��es em todos os setores da vida social da
humanidade. Trata-se, portanto, de mudan�as que est�o
impactando fortemente a pol�tica mundial, a economia, o
mundo do trabalho e as tradi��es culturais em todas as
partes do planeta, quer influenciadas pelos meios de
comunica��o, quer pelo poder econ�mico-financeiro das
grandes corpora��es transnacionais financeiras e
produtivas. Concordemos ou n�o, gostemos ou n�o, a
globaliza��o � um fato cotidiano que permeia a nossa
realidade, desde o creme dental que usamos, a roupa que
vestimos, o t�nis que cal�amos, o alimento enlatado que
comemos, o programa de TV que assistimos, o jornal que
lemos, o computador que utilizamos, o banco que recebemos o
sal�rio ou realizamos neg�cios, a internet que navegamos,
entre outros milhares de aspectos do nosso dia a dia.
Portanto, a globaliza��o � um fen�meno t�pico do
capitalismo contempor�neo. Diferencia-se do mercantilismo,
da revolu��o industrial e do per�odo dos monop�lios, pelo
conjunto de fen�menos novos que traz consigo.

Pelas transforma��es que vem operando no sistema
capitalista, a globaliza��o pode ser considerada um est�gio
qualitativamente novo no modo de produ��o capitalista, uma
fase em que o capitalismo completou seu amadurecimento
hist�rico, com a internacionaliza��o produtiva e
financeira, um per�odo em que a burguesia dos pa�ses
centrais passou a extrair generalizadamente o valor fora de
suas fronteiras nacionais e um momento no qual o
capitalismo unificou mundialmente o ciclo do capital. A
partir da globaliza��o, as crises econ�micas, que antes
eram assim�tricas entre os pa�ses, passam a ser crises
internacionais sim�tricas do conjunto do capital.

Globaliza��o produtiva

A internacionaliza��o da produ��o da segunda metade da
d�cada de 50 foi o ponto de partida para a mundializa��o da
economia. Ao produzir internacionalmente, de maneira
padronizada, em todas as partes do mundo, o grande capital
passou a ter a possibilidade de se utilizar das melhores
disponibilidades dos pa�ses, quer em termos de
mat�rias-primas, m�o de obra barata, no caso dos pa�ses
perif�ricos, facilidade credit�cias, entre outros pontos, o
que lhe permitiu recuperar suas taxas de lucro e
reconfigurar o sistema produtivo mundial. Com a
globaliza��o produtiva emergem novos ramos de produ��o,
tais como as tecnologias da informa��o e a internet, a
microeletr�nica, a rob�tica, a engenharia gen�tica, a
biotecnologia, os novos materiais, elementos de
intelig�ncia artificial, a nanotecnologia, cujas
caracter�sticas representam uma terceira revolu��o
industrial. Enquanto essa nova ind�stria estrutura seu
desenvolvimento, os velhos ramos de produ��o t�picos da
segunda revolu��o industrial, como o metal-mec�nica, o
qu�mico, o pl�stico, etc., v�o perdendo import�ncia diante
da globaliza��o.

A globaliza��o produtiva � comandada pelas empresas
transnacionais. Pelo poder econ�mico e pela influ�ncia que
exercem junto aos pa�ses e governos, as transnacionais
funcionam como destacamentos avan�ados do grande capital,
organizando seus interesses e sua a��o global. O peso
dessas grandes corpora��es � t�o grande que muitas delas
possuem volume de neg�cios maior que o Produto Interno
Bruto de v�rias na��es.

Por exemplo, as sete maiores empresas transnacionais t�m um
movimento de vendas maior que o PIB da China, o pa�s mais
populoso do planeta; a General Motors realiza um volume de
neg�cios maior que os 48 pa�ses menos desenvolvidos do
mundo (Tussaint, 2001). Essas empresas controlam ainda a
maioria absoluta da inova��o tecnol�gica (95% de pesquisa e
desenvolvimento no mundo � realizada nos pa�ses da OCDE) e
somente o com�rcio entre filiais e matrizes representa
cerca de 40% do com�rcio mundial (UNCTAD, 2000).

Globaliza��o financeira

Se as modifica��es na �rea produtiva podem ser consideradas
extraordin�rias, � na �rea financeira que a globaliza��o
est� mais desenvolvida. O capital fict�cio seguiu o caminho
das corpora��es transnacionais e tamb�m buscou
internacionalizar os seus neg�cios. Burlou as legisla��es
nacionais, estruturou um mercado mundial de moedas
(eurod�lares) nas d�cadas de 60 e 70, criou filiais pelo
mundo afora e passou a operar em escala global, num
processo que significou a privatiza��o da liquidez
internacional. No entanto, a globaliza��o financeira atual
s� ganhou seus contornos mais definidos com a
desregulamenta��o das atividades banc�rias, a libera��o do
movimento dos capitais e a emerg�ncia das altas taxas de
juros como reguladoras da economia mundial, no per�odo dos
governos Reagan, nos Estados Unidos, e Tatcher, na
Inglaterra.

Com essa nova conjuntura o capital fict�cio passou a ter
inteira liberdade para se desenvolver, especialmente porque
novos agentes econ�micos fundos de pens�o, fundos m�tuos,
seguradoras e corretoras em geral entraram agressivamente
no mercado, inclusive retirando dos bancos tradicionais a
lideran�a nas opera��es financeiras. Num ambiente
inteiramente desregulamentado, os agentes econ�micos
criaram uma variedade impressionante de novos "produtos"
financeiros, especialmente os chamados derivativos,
opera��es derivadas a partir de uma opera��o com ativo real
ou financeiro, cujos neg�cios hoje representam cerca de
dois ter�os das aplica��es especulativas. Quanto mais
crescem os neg�cios na �rbita financeira, mais os agentes
econ�micos incrementam a flexibilidade e a criatividade
especulativa, num frenesi que transformou a esfera
financeira no l�cus privilegiado da din�mica da economia
capitalista atual.

Ancorado pelas tecnologias da informa��o, o mercado
financeiro passou a ter a possibilidade de "valorizar" o
dinheiro 24 horas por dia, bastando para tanto ajustar suas
aplica��es aos fusos hor�rios dos diversos pa�ses. Qualquer
investidor pode hoje negociar pela manh� na Bolsa de
Chicago, � tarde no Brasil e � noite Hong Kong. Ou seja, o
capital fict�cio rompeu a barreira do espa�o e do tempo ao
se auto-acrescentar continuamente e passou a ter um grau de
autodetermina��o nunca vista na hist�ria do capitalismo.
Para se ter uma id�ia da dimens�o dos neg�cios na arena
financeira, basta dizer que diariamente s�o transacionados
US$ 1,8 trilh�o, quantia muito maior que todos os neg�cios
na �rbita produtiva no mesmo per�odo. E c�lculos de
especialistas (Richard, 2000) indicam que, em 1997, j�
estavam circulando na esfera financeira US$ 53 trilh�es,
cerca de duas vezes o PIB mundial.

Essa imensa massa de recursos se comporta hoje, como
assinalou o Financial Times (Chesnais, 1986), como
pol�tica, j�ri e juiz das atividades econ�micas mundiais.
Tem a capacidade de reverter pol�ticas governamentais,
decis�es dos Bancos Centrais e mesmo o destino do mercado
de trabalho mundial. Isso porque a globaliza��o das
finan�as imp�s sua l�gica para o conjunto dos neg�cios e
aprisionou um a um todos os agentes econ�micos,
especialmente as empresas produtivas, o Estado e seu
or�amento. Atualmente, grande parte dos lucros das empresas
produtivas s�o oriundos da especula��o, enquanto parcelas
cada vez mais significativas do or�amento dos Estados s�o
destinadas ao pagamento dos juros da d�vida p�blica
interna, um dos principais instrumentos alimentadores da
especula��o mundial.

Neoliberalismo

Entretanto, o conjunto das mudan�as de fundo operadas na
sociedade s� foram poss�veis porque ocorreu, a partir do
final da d�cada de 70, e posteriormente com a elei��o de
Reagan e Tatcher, respectivamente nos Estados Unidos e na
Inglaterra, uma mudan�a qualitativa na composi��o das
classes dominantes dos pa�ses centrais. A velha elite
ligada ao antigo Capitalismo Monopolista de Estado, cujo
poder se consolidou a partir dos anos 30 e, especialmente
ap�s a Segunda Guerra Mundial, foi substitu�da no centro de
poder da Tr�ade Imperial por um novo bloco de for�as
sociais mais agressivas e mais reacion�rias.

Estas for�as subordinaram pol�tica e economicamente todos
os outros setores da burguesia e impuseram a nova ordem
mundial, baseada no neoliberalismo, como forma de
organiza��o s�cio-econ�mica da sociedade e o rentismo como
instrumento particular de acumula��o. Este novo bloco
dominante comanda o processo de globaliza��o e est� hoje no
centro do poder mundial, buscando configurar o mundo � sua
imagem e aplicando uma esp�cie de vingan�a hist�rica de
classe contra os trabalhadores.

Uma nova fase do imperialismo

Dessa forma, a globaliza��o representa uma fase nova do
capitalismo, per�odo em que este modo de produ��o atingiu
plenamente seu amadurecimento e se transformou num sistema
mundial completo. At� o per�odo anterior � globaliza��o, o
capitalismo era completo apenas em rela��o a duas vari�veis
da �rbita da circula��o o com�rcio mundial e a exporta��o
de capitais. Mas, ao expandir a mundializa��o para as
esferas produtiva e financeira, bem como para os outros
setores da vida social, o sistema unificou globalmente o
ciclo do capital, fechando assim um processo iniciado com a
revolu��o inglesa de 1640 (Costa, 2002).

Em termos hist�ricos, a globaliza��o � um fen�meno do nosso
tempo, uma singularidade origin�ria do capitalismo
constru�do a partir da segunda metade do s�culo XX.
Diferencia-se da primeira e da segunda revolu��o
industrial, porque j� nasce sem a possibilidade de
desenvolver todo o potencial das for�as produtivas e se
viabilizar plenamente, em fun��o das limita��es estruturais
do capitalismo nesta etapa da hist�ria. A globaliza��o
incorporou inova��es tecnol�gicas radicais que
proporcionaram �s for�as produtivas um enorme
desenvolvimento, mas o sistema global de produ��o n�o
possui condi��es de se desenvolver plenamente em fun��o de
suas pr�prias contradi��es e, especialmente, da
insufici�ncia mundial de demanda agregada.

No momento em que o capitalismo tem as melhores condi��es
potenciais para desenvolver suas for�as produtivas, �
exatamente neste momento em que est� limitado pela demanda
agregada global. As novas tecnologias, a reestrutura��o
produtiva e gerencial encilharam o sistema num emaranhado
de contradi��es que se expressam mais claramente no fato de
que cada unidade de trabalho vivo poupada representa um
potencial de dificuldades econ�micas e pol�ticas, com o
agravante de que, enquanto na primeira e segunda revolu��o
industrial buscou-se revolver o problema da demanda
agregada, respectivamente, mediante a redu��o da jornada de
trabalho e amplia��o do setor de servi�os, a globaliza��o
emerge no momento em que n�o h� mais setores a ocupar nem
os capitalistas est�o dispostos a reduzir a jornada de
trabalho. Retoma-se assim, de maneira completa, a
contradi��o original do sistema, que se expressa entre o
car�ter social da produ��o e a apropria��o privada dos seus
resultados.

Ressalte-se que te�ricos do imperialismo escreveram que
esta fase do capitalismo seria uma esp�cie de ante-sala do
socialismo. Parece que houve certo otimismo nesta previs�o,
uma vez que naquela �poca o capitalismo monopolizado estava
apenas iniciando o seu processo de amadurecimento
internacional, n�o estando, portanto, em condi��es plenas
para as transforma��es dial�ticas. Somente agora, com a
globaliza��o, o capitalismo fecha o ciclo do seu
desenvolvimento hist�rico. Nessa perspectiva, pode-se dizer
que agora estamos muito mais pr�ximos de uma transforma��o
radical do modo de produ��o capitalista do que no in�cio do
s�culo XX.

Como tudo na natureza segue a lei da dial�tica, podemos
afirmar que o sistema capitalista teve seu desenvolvimento
efetivo com a revolu��o industrial, passou para uma fase
superior com a emerg�ncia dos monop�lios e amadureceu
completamente com a globaliza��o contempor�nea. Portanto,
agora que j� cumpriu o papel hist�rico de desenvolver
internacionalmente as for�as produtivas e a �rbita da
circula��o, tende a sofrer transforma��es profundas que
mudar�o a sua qualidade enquanto modo de produ��o, a
exemplo do que ocorreu com as outras forma��es
s�cio-econ�micas anteriores.

Seu aparente esplendor globalizado esconde um conjunto de
contradi��es originais que se reproduzem agora em bases
ampliadas com a globaliza��o. Portanto, para compreender o
fen�meno da globaliza��o e as poss�veis transforma��es de
um sistema agora completo deve-se tamb�m atentar para o
fato de que uma transforma��o qualitativamente nova s�
poder� ser efetiva se for viabilizada a partir do cora��o
do sistema, onde potencialmente a luta de classes tem
condi��es de pulsar mais intensamente.

� bem verdade que os elos d�beis continuar�o cumprindo um
papel essencial para o enfraquecimento geral do capital,
enquanto forma global de domina��o. Mas a sua crise
profunda s� poder� configurar um estatuto terminal quando
atingir o n�cleo do poder, o cora��o da Tr�ade Imperial. Em
outras palavras: a crise geral do capitalismo s� estar�
madura quando atingir os Estados Unidos, a Uni�o Europ�ia e
o Jap�o (Costa 2000).

Com a globaliza��o, pode-se dizer que o sistema se aproxima
de um limite de reprodu��o material, tendo em vista que se
o capitalismo desenvolvesse plenamente seu potencial
produtivo, haveria uma crise global de superprodu��o. Esta
contradi��o explica o fen�meno da financeiriza��o da
riqueza, que se apresenta atualmente como o contraponto
funcional da incapacidade do sistema desenvolver suas
for�as produtivas. Ou seja, os capitais excedentes,
impedidos de se reproduzirem na esfera produtiva, buscam
agora uma fuga para frente na �rbita das finan�as, como se
isso os liberasse do ajuste de contas com a realidade da
lei do valor.

"Nessa nova aventura desesperada, o capital especulativo
carrega consigo todos os outros setores do capital para a
l�gica da especula��o e, com isso, aprofunda a crise geral
do capitalismo, posto que, no longo prazo, � imposs�vel a
reprodu��o do capital sem obedecer a lei do valor. A
cria��o da riqueza na �rbita financeira � uma aventura sem
futuro, uma miragem capaz de levar momentaneamente parte
dos capitalistas ao del�rio, ofuscando sua vis�o global do
futuro. No entanto, quanto mais aprofundam esse modelo,
mais ampliam a possibilidade de uma crise geral do sistema"
(Costa, 2000).

Do ponto de vista pol�tico, apesar da derrota da primeira
experi�ncia do socialismo, o sistema capitalista n�o se
transformou num referencial para a humanidade, nem destruiu
a perspectiva de constru��o de uma sociedade sem classes.
H� a possibilidade real de que a crise oriunda do fracasso
do neoliberalismo abra uma nova e prodigiosa situa��o
revolucion�ria mundial, onde a quest�o do socialismo
reapare�a como uma vitalidade bem maior do que a que
ocorreu com o aparecimento dos monop�lios no in�cio do
s�culo XX, s� que agora as for�as socialistas estar�o
livres das deforma��es e dos desvios que ocorreram no
recente passado socialista.

Al�m disso, por mais paradoxal que pare�a, a
globaliza��o est� construindo as bases para uma sociedade
da abund�ncia, uma vez que o desenvolvimento das for�as
produtivas incrementar� de maneira extraordin�ria a
produtividade do trabalho. No entanto, como todos sabemos,
o sistema capitalista n�o tem nenhum compromisso com o
progresso social e, portanto, n�o ser� capaz de satisfazer
as necessidades materiais da popula��o. Mesmo assim, essas
for�as produtivas sofisticadas proporcionam os elementos
objetivos para a sociedade da abund�ncia de bens e
servi�os. Caso se conquiste as transforma��es estruturais
do capitalismo no decorrer de uma crise mundial do sistema,
j� se tem as bases materiais para a constru��o da sociedade
comunista.

Edmilson Costa � doutor em Economia pela Unicamp, com
p�s-doutorado no Instituto de Filosofia e Ci�ncias Humanas.
Autor de Imperialismo (1986), A Pol�tica Salarial no Brasil
(1997) Um Projeto para o Brasil (1998). Membro do Comit�
Central e da Comiss�o Pol�tica Nacional do PCB