Globaleyes

Choosing Peaceful Economics

By Kendra Loewen

This is the tenth in a series of articles on economic globalization sponsored by the Peace Ministries Program of Mennonite Central Committee Canada. The writers are young adult Canadians who are studying and thinking about globalization and who are seeking to make a difference.

 

We have a choice in how we interact economically. I had a firsthand lesson in this on a recent learning tour to Colombia.

Most western economic models work on the basis of competition and limited resources. Individuals, organizations and companies try to maximize the benefits they can gain from the economy, in competition with others. In order to increase profits, many other things can be sacrificed, and on an international scale, these sacrifices can be devastating. Governments declare war, mighty nations enact trade agreements that cripple the economies of weaker nations. A minority gains power and wealth, while the majority struggles to scrape together enough resources to stay alive.

The economy of God

The Bible presents an alternative model for our participation in the economy. It challenges us to see all of God's creation as one community, in which each of us is concerned with the well being of everyone else. The goal in this model is not to amass as much wealth as possible, but to live in a world of harmony, or shalom, with each other. It is possible for each person to have enough. Micah 4:1-4 outlines God's model of peace for creation, including a vision of economic peace.

"[The LORD] shall judge between many peoples,
and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore;
But they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
and no one shall make them afraid;
For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken." (Micah 4:3-4)

This passage describes the world the way God intended it to be. Most of the world does not work this way. Colombia's place in the international economy is a good example of this. While priorities for Canada and the United States, in their relationship with Colombia, involve getting cheap gas, access to tropical fruits and vegetables, and good return on foreign investments, priorities for most Colombians are things like keeping their small patch of land, finding a way to get their produce to a market, not being hunted by armed groups, staying alive. While most Canadians try to earn lots of money and buy lots of things, most Colombians simply want enough resources to support their families, and to live without fear.

The economy of profit

In late August 2006 the Colombian government was on the verge of selling a major oil refinery to an international corporation. As a result, the oil workers' union was anticipating layoffs, deteriorating working conditions, and violence against workers who challenged what was taking place. Those who advocate for social justice are often threatened or killed.

The privatization of oil refineries means a huge influx of funds for the Colombian government, in the short term. But in the long term, it means the profits leave the country. At the same time, Colombian workers lose health benefits, wages, and safe working environments. This is because the foreign companies who buy the refineries are more concerned with relatively short-term profits than with sustainable development, environmental integrity, or the well being of Colombians. These profits make it easy for the international community, including Canada and the United States, to "forget" about the human rights abuses and injustices in Colombia.

Most Canadians believe that we have the right to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables all year; the right to update our wardrobes each season; the right to drive long distances to get to work. When I was lamenting this reality while in Bogotá, one of my Colombian friends responded by saying that Colombians don't feel that they even have the right to live a life without violence. How are these two realities connected? The Canadian and American companies that invest in countries like Colombia with such devastating results, do so because it is profitable. It is profitable, because Canadian and American consumers continue to demand plentiful, cheap products such as fuel, and continue to demand a high return on their investments when they buy stocks in these companies.

What can we do?

Is it possible that exercising my "right" to buy gas threatens another's right to live? If I acknowledge this connection, how can I continue to make choices that perpetuate this violent economic model? Can I continue to serve my own wealth-amassing interests at the expense of the poor and vulnerable people of my world community?

In Colombia, the oil workers' union is not against foreign investment per se, but rather how it happens. Many foreign companies impose their self-serving economic agenda in Colombia with violence. The message that the workers are striving to say to the world is that foreign investment does not have to occur at the cost of misery and death; the benefits of the investment need to be distributed more evenly. There needs to be a joint international struggle against policies that are harmful everywhere. We in the north need to be motivated by the pleas for justice from our sisters and brothers in the south, not just by a higher return on our investments. We need to recognize that our choices impact others in our global community, and act in ways that reflect God's model for economic peace.

We have the power to make peaceful economic choices. We can choose to invest in socially responsible companies. We can be thoughtful about the products we buy, noting where they come from and who may have produced them. We can interact with our politicians about promoting just trading policies. On May 20-21, participate with your church community in the Days of Prayer and Action for Peace in Colombia. Advocate for peaceful and just participation by Canadian companies in the Colombian mining industry.

MCC in Colombia

Choose to recognize that your economic choices affect your sisters and brothers around the world. Choose God's model of economic shalom.

 

Kendra Loewen works for MCC B.C. in Financial Services and Resource Development. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC, and a Bachelor of Theology from Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, MB.

In August 2006 she participated in an MCC Learning Tour to Colombia to learn about peacemaking in the context of social and economic violence.