Alter-globalization (or altermondialization from the French altermondialisation) is the name of a social movement which supports the international integration of globalization but demands that values of democracy, economic justice, environmental protection, and human rights be put ahead of purely economic concerns. The term is a positive spin on the more widely-used and pejorative word 'anti-globalization'.
This movement objects to what it deems as neo-liberal globalization. It mainly opposes the way international institutions (such as the WTO, the IMF, and the World Bank) work towards First World economic interests. In its most radical form, alter-globalization approaches and is confused with internationalism as put forth by communists, since both oppose a globalization that would prioritize business executives (capitalists) over ordinary people (the proletariat).
The term alter-globalization is derived from the term anti-globalization, which journalists and others used to describe the movement. French members of the movement preferred the term "alter-mondialization", which is more positive and constructive, and more revealing of its principled stances, than the simple opposition suggested by the "anti-globalization" label. Many French journalists, in particular, have since ceased using the latter term in order to distinguish proponents of alter-globalization from true "anti-globalization" activists (those who are against any kind of globalization: nationalists, protectionists, communitarians, etc.).
Advocates of alter-globalization have set up an online global news network, the Independent Media Center, to report and shed light on developments pertinent to the movement. Groups in favor of alter-globalization include ATTAC, an international trade reform network headquartered in France.
See also Democratic globalization
