Are we really supposed to believe that protesters who demand that companies pay living wages, recognize the rights of workers to organize unions and not flee when workers try to raise living standards are really the enemies of the poor, as Bush maintains?

The G-8 leaders did pledge to contribute $1.3 billion to a global health fund to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis and launch a development plan for Africa that would "make globalization work." But United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan indicated that the health fund contribution was inadequate. Also, despite the dismal record of the G-8's modest program for relief of foreign debts owed by very poor countries, the leaders simply continued their old strategy. But judging from their record, they would not have taken even these steps without popular pressure, which first won some debt relief commitments a few years ago.

As bad as the G-8 performance was, Bush's was even worse. While other countries pushed for cheaper production of AIDS and other drugs than is permissible even under rules of the World Trade Organization, Bush was fighting to protect the intellectual property rights of American drug makers at the cost of the lives of the world's poor. While the other countries wanted to press forward with the Kyoto Protocol, Bush continued to reject even that flawed attempt to fight global warming (as he also threw up obstacles to funding the U.N. Global Environmental Facility, which funds renewable energy and sustainable development in poor countries).

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The poor countries are likely to be the most heavily hurt by global warming and least able to cope with climatic changes.

Bush has also resisted efforts by the rest of the G-8 to rein in the tax havens and offshore banking centers that play havoc with government economic policies and to fund programs to help the poor or workers displaced by globalization in the rich countries.

While Bush appeared to be generous in proposing that the World Bank give grants rather than loan money to poor countries, his strategy would soon deplete bank resources, and Bush gave no indication that the United States, which currently is the stingiest industrial country in direct aid to developing countries, would be increasing its level of grants. Bush's resurrection of the missile defense plan will eat up billions that could be used for healthcare, development, education and other needs of poor countries (or many needy Americans), while encouraging increased military spending by other countries around the world -- hardly what the poor need.

The protesters (regardless of their tactics) were not fooled by the G-8 leaders' protestations of concerns for the poor. Most of the public in the industrial countries is not likely to be duped either. "One hundred thousand people don't get upset unless there is a problem in their hearts and spirits," French president Jacques Chirac said after hearing of the police killing of protester Carlo Giuliani, the son of an Italian labor union leader. More than 100,000 people are upset, and the problem is not just in their hearts and minds but in the system of corporate globalization that has delivered so much to the world's rich and so little to the poor.

It is the rich nations' leaders acting in the interests of major transnational corporations, not the protesters, who are the real enemies of not only the billions of people living on less than $1 a day but also working people in their own countries.

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