Introduction

In June 2001 there were riots in the streets of Gothenburg, Sweden during a meeting of the European Union (EU) held in the city. In August/September 2002 there were demonstrations at the Earth Summit in the South African city of Johannesburg with Colin Powell the US Secretary of State being booed. These were just the latest in a series of protests that were becoming a feature of meetings of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other such bodies. The protesters were expressing concerns about the dangers of globalization.