The long-term C5 crisis: Argument & readings

TFF Associate Hazel Henderson has written a fascinating account of 30+ years of her own attempt and that of many other alternative economists to get the high priests of market economy and of politics to listen. They didn't, and thus we are where we are now. If you think it is indeed time to question economy as a science, her piece is a good place to begin.

We in the richer parts of the world have lived beyond the world's means, and we continue to. The global capitalist system is based on the weird philosophy that we can permanently ignore this old wisdom: there are always limits to quantity but never to quality.

We forgot Gandhi's precise statement that there is enough for everybody's needs but not for everybody's greed.

The global economic crisis was predictable, although it would have been difficult to predict the exact time it would manifest itself. Visionaries in the 1950 told us that there were limits; so did future studies in the 1960s and 1970s such as - with all their shortcomings - the Club of Rome reports, beginning with "Limits to Growth" in 1972. And many many others.

Globalizing capitalism based on the assumption of everlasting material growth is fundamentally unsustainable but unfortunately we are constantly told that it is the only system we have.

The triumphalism in intellectual matters reflected that of mainstream politics; what was the use of thinking of alternatives, all ideologies were dead, Fukuyama maintained after 1989? This was the universalist, authoritarian dream - that everybody worldwide would either love or be forced to accept Western capitalism, its political system, human rights thinking, etc. One thinking, not more - thou shalt not have other gods/thoughts...

It now all proves wrong. For humanity, the Occident may turn out to be an Accident. The "best" system shows signs of system failure. Why? Because we are not facing just one predictable crisis, we are witnessed the emerging 5 simultaenous Crises, the 5 Cs:

- economy - the economic science and its assumptions, ongoing poverty and mal-development;

- security - overarmament, decreasing human security everywhere, war on terror, boundless militarism and economic waste; ungoing marginalization of millions of people in poverty;

- environment - climate change and all the rest - water shortage, pollution, resource depletion, end of oil, desertification, waste disposal, ice melting, population, overconsumption, etc

- politics - democratic deficits, lack of global governance, candidates promising gold and green woods while none will be available, 4 year terms militating against long-range planned change;

- culture - "clash of civilizations", Christianity/Islam, system racism/xenophobia, decreasing media and political interest in global perspectives.


It seems that neither politics, nor media, nor research is able to handle more than one of these at a time (with the few obligatory, good exceptions). So we usually hear that:

- We must produce more to get out of the crisis - but, then, what about the environment?

- We must keep on militarising against "threats", conduct warfare and maintain nuclear capabilities - but, then, what about the economic waste and how threatening is that in the eyes of others?

- We must force the rest of the world to accept our system - but what then about democracy, self-determination, human rights, and the risk of more terrorism by people whose culture is not respected and who are not listened to?

In short, trying to address one problem at a time is likely to have negative effects on one or more of the others. In addition, the solutions will hardly emerge from the elites who thrive - still - from the present state of affairs.

Thinking through the meaning of the 5 Cs and finding integrating solutions will remain the defining challenge of our time, of leadership and of civil society. It will require a fundamental will to use and develop:

- transdisciplinary approaches,
- multicultural dialogue,
- out-of-the-box thinking,
- global ethics of care,
- globalising democratic decision-making, and
- strategies for non-violent, orderly change.

It is perfectly doable if we remember that crisis cannot be solved by applying more of what caused the crisis in the first place.


TFF offers you the following insights on the larger perspectives:

Hazel Henderson
Who are the new financiers?

Hazel Henderson
More advice for Summiteers on reforming the global casino

G20 and C5 - Connecting the dots?
Reality Show for Real Politicians?

Riane Eisler
Peaceful Revolution: Investing in our human infrastructure

Johan Galtung
G20. NATO. And the world

Johan Galtung
The Energy-Environment-Development Triad

And there is much more we recommend...

Global Issues
Social, Political, Economic and Environmental Issues That Affect Us...

Global Issues
Primer on Neo-liberalism

Global Issues
The mainstream media and free trade

Better World Links



Jan Oberg