Clinton: Globalization can win this war

GHENT, Belgium -- Global trade can help win the war against terrorism if the West spreads the wealth it generates more equitably, former President Bill Clinton told a conference of globalization critics Tuesday. \n"Not everyone who's angry is angry at the civilized world and wants to destroy it," Clinton said. "A lot are angry because they can't be a part of it."\nArguing for more globalization, not a retrenchment in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, Clinton said bringing terror suspect Osama bin Laden to justice is not enough. \n"We need to reduce the pool of potential terrorists by increasing the number of potential partners in the 21st century world," he said. \nHe called on Western nations to foot the bill to raise living standards and improve education in the developing world to promote equal opportunity. \n"Global trade is not bad, but there's not enough," Clinton said. "We need to spread the benefits and reduce the burdens quickly to all the people." \nClinton was invited to the University of Ghent by the current president of the European Union, Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, who has sought to organize a debate on "ethical globalization" ever since anti-globalization radicals rioted outside an EU summit in June. \nRather than the attacks overshadowing the discussion, speakers agreed that solving problems like the growing gap between rich and poor, what Clinton called "the dark side" of globalization, has become even more urgent. \n"In a way, the Western world saw the price of poverty flashed up on its TV screens on Sept. 11," Verhofstadt said. \n"Poor unstable countries and regions that fall prey to gangs of criminals" like bin Laden's al-Qaida network are part of the price, he said. \nSome speakers expressed fears that the U.S.-led military response to the attacks would divert resources and attention from anti-poverty programs. \n"It's a no-win situation for us," said Dr. Owens Wiwa, a Nigerian activist who expects a tougher time raising money for Africa's AIDS crisis. \nNaomi Klein, a best-selling Canadian author and anti-corporate activist, said she was afraid the war atmosphere would make it harder to be publicly critical of globalization. \n"People are afraid that being critical of the market is seen as being anti-American, even treasonous," she said. \nBut she said she felt that the needs of the poor and excluded would have to be addressed. \n"It's become a security issue," she said.