4 - When Fair Is Foul and Foul Is Fair

Summary

This chapter argues that although the poverty narrative has been a source of dramatic empowerment for those in desperate need, the effectiveness of this instrument has also become clear to others. It provides illustrations of the increasingly indiscriminate overuse and deliberate misuse of poverty narratives by the less rich and the more rich, respectively. Through four cases focusing on the misuse of this narrative in trade negotiations, and further examples in multiple areas of bargaining, I make a sombre central point. The poverty narrative, because of its many demonstrated wins, has been appropriated and hijacked by multiple players. As more and more states and people learn to effectively play the role of the powerless victim, the poverty narrative is attracting a major backlash. There is a tragic irony to this: as the (still relatively newly discovered) power of the powerless loses credibility through overuse and misuse, the biggest losses accrue to the neediest and the poorest. The potential damage to the international system of rules is also severe.