Volume 1, Issue 2
Rhode Island College
Spring, 2014
idea noun \ī-ˈdē-ə, -ˈdēə also ˈī-(ˌ)dē-ə or ˈī-dē\: a thought, plan, or suggestion about what to do; an opinion or belief; something that you imagine or
picture in your mind polis noun \ˈpä-ləs\: a Greek city-state; broadly: a state or society especially when characterized by a sense of community
INGOS SPRING LECTURE Corporate Accountability International: "Stop Corporate Abuse" by Nicaurys Heredia, '17 Political Science major, INGOS minor It was a pleasure for me and the others who attended this event to meet the Campaign Administrator of Corporate Accountability International (CAI), Ari S.M. Rubenstein. CAI is a non-profit organization that, for more than 35 years, has waged campaigns to protect and promote public health, human rights, and the environment from corporate abuse. The mission of Stop Corporate Abuse campaign is essentially to stop life threatening abuses caused by global corporations. Rubenstein spoke about how global corporations have grown richer and more powerful than many nations because they increasingly operate without limits on the power they have. Rubenstein gave examples of campaigns that CAI is working on, including “Challenge Corporate Control of Water." In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly recognized the universal right to water and sanitation, saying they are essential to all human beings. However, Rubenstein clarified for us that one in nine people lack access to clean and safe drinking water in the world, despite the fact that everyone has the right to water, and this is because water corporations, and those who financially back them, want to transfer public water into private hands. As a result, water corporations create projects that prioritize profit instead of people’s needs to access clean and safe drinking water. CAI works with other organizations and leaders from all over the world calling for public officials and the World Bank to stop the promotion and investment in water privatization.
ARI RUBENSTEIN, CAI Photo courtesy of Robyn Linde
In addition to campaigns, CAI challenges corporate power using several strategies. One such strategy is a "Corporate Hall of Shame" where a variety of organizations mobilize grassroots pressure on different corporations. The giant agribusiness, Monsanto, has now been inducted into the Corporate Hall of Shame not once, but twice! Having Ari Rubenstein come to Rhode Island College and share his work and the work of CAI was a great experience. Personally, I was not aware of many of the facts that Rubenstein spoke about, but, after his presentation, I felt I was capable of understanding how different corporations abuse the power they have. It was awe-inspiring to have someone come and talk about situations that many people around the world are unaware of. !1