In many parts of the world, the global justice and anti-war movements are alive and kicking. Large-scale popular resistance is rising up from Argentina to Spain to Palestine. However, in North America the situation is far more mixed and problematic.

A courageous minority in the USA is prepared to stand up against frenzied patriotism and say “No way” to war and global injustice. The convergence of Palestinian, anti-war and global justice protesters in Washington in April was a positive sign.

Within Canada, there is widespread - if insufficient - opposition to the neo-liberal polices that the G-8 is pushing. A substantial minority (about 30 per cent) opposes Canadian participation in the so-called “war against terrorism” in Afghanistan. But this opposition remains highly fragmented, is largely unorganized and is not mobilized. People don't feel the sense of collective power experienced in the streets of Seattle, Quebec City, Genoa, Barcelona and Buenos Aires.

The G-8 summit to be held in Kananaskis from June 26 to 28 is an opportunity to make the links between the interconnected issues of war, militarism, police repression, crushing Third World debt, world-wide attacks on workers' rights and livelihoods and ecological destruction.

The G-8's deadly agenda should be challenged. People should do what they can to mobilize against the G-8. However, at this point it appears unlikely the G-8 will be greeted by the kind of militant, mass-based resistance necessary to make a major impact. Why is this case? What are the obstacles? How can we move forward?

One obstacle is the repressive power of the state. The strength of protest has forced international summits to bunker down in remote locations. $500 million is being spent on security for Kananaskis. Some 5,000 troops and police officers will be deployed. New anti-terrorist legislation is in place to intimidate. And the federal government is working overtime to deter even mild protest, as seen in its efforts to prevent Solidarity Village from being held on reserve land.

Another obstacle is the corporate press parroting the lie that the summit is about helping the world's poor and promoting democracy and peace, obscuring the fact that the summit has everything to do with promoting the agenda of global capitalism.

There are also many problems within the broad movement of opposition. Since September 11, many union and NGO leaders have muted their criticism and moved further away from support for serious mobilization of any kind.

The opposition movement also faces enormous confusion about what is needed and what are the alternatives. We do have some examples of how things could begin to be different - self-organizing of landless and unemployed workers in Argentina and in Brazil. In Canada, anti-capitalist activists have called for the replacement of capitalism with a radically democratic society in which production is geared to meet human needs and protect the environment - genuine socialism. Although anti-capitalist radicalism is growing among youth, it remains fragile.

Being clearly and sharply anti-capitalist does not resolve all questions. The “Take the Capital” anti-G-8 actions in Ottawa - organized on an anti-capitalist basis of unity - will be more audacious and tactically militant than the protests in Alberta. But they run the risk of being small and easily isolated and repressed. A large-scale convergence involving some level of unity in action between various forces opposing the G-8 might have opened more possibilities.