Globalists Discontent, page 1

An interesting little article in the New York Times. They often produce excellent news stories and I believe this is one. It appears the World Trade Organization can not agree on lifting trade barriers amongst the worlds nations. They have been trying to get some agreement on his issue since the 2001 meeting in Qatar.

www.nytimes.com
GENEVA, July 1 — The chances of reaching a new accord to lower trade barriers across the globe seemed more remote than ever on Saturday as major World Trade Organization powers signaled their failure to make progress during two days of talks and postponed a resumption of serious discussions.Perhaps the most important factor is that President Bush will lose his mandate next year to strike a deal without it being picked apart by legislators. Soon, trade experts say, other countries will cease negotiating with the United States because deals struck abroad are unlikely to be honored by Congress.The talks are mainly stuck over agriculture. Before making additional pledges to reduce subsidies and tariffs, the Americans and Europeans are calling on developing countries like India and Brazil to agree to open their markets to more imports of manufactured goods and services.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Interestingly the major industrial powers have always been proponents of lowering trade barriers in developing nations while they stacked the deck against them at home. One way to stack the deck has been subsidies to farmers, like the US has always done, which has made it impossible for developing countries to compete.
This time, however, the developing countries have told the US and EU to put up first or be silent. Globalization can be a good thing but when the largest industrial countries connive to cheat smaller emerging countries, they quickly see it's not to their advantage. So, although our representative Ms. Susan Schwab opines that, "The experience.....has been somewhat dishartening." Perhaps now she can see how the other 80% of the worlds population feels.

An excellent source on this and other 'tricks' used by the major industrial powers is "Globalization and it's Discontents" by Joseph E. Stiglitz

[edit on 3-7-2006 by polanksi]

[edit on 3-7-2006 by polanksi]

Edit: Title.

[edit on 3-7-2006 by intrepid]