Background Information
November 30th through December 3rd, the World Trade Organization is holding their third "ministerial conference" in Seattle, Washington. An estimated number of up to 50,000 protesters will meet in Seattle for one of the biggest protests in radical politics of the century. We would like to announce that YFIS has plans to be an active participant in this incredible event.
In their own words, "the World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only international organization dealing with the global rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible."
What they won’t tell you, however, is that there are devastating side effects to their "multilateral trading system" they hope to create. A part of the growing shift towards corporate control, the WTO threatens centuries of progress in the areas of human rights & environmental protection.
In fact, it is estimated by the American Forest and Paper Association that the WTO’s "free logging" proposal will increase worldwide consumption by 4%, putting extra pressure on our already incredibly stressed ecosystems. Their proposal will abolish any existing environmental protections which are determined to be in conflict with the freedom of trade. The entire concept of environmental protection is inherently in conflict with free trade. That is, because it is profitable for business to damage ecosystems, environmental protection interferes with the capacity of corporations to make a profit.
Another situation arises out of the WTO crises, which has the potential to damage labor standards for the workers of the world. Supposedly helping to ensure "that trade flows as smoothly, predictably, and freely as possible", the World Trade Organization will, as a side effect of removing laws which restrict the rights of business, hand over to corporations more freedom to practice slave labor in sweatshops across the third world. For the WTO, removing laws which uphold labor standards somehow equates to "speeding the development of third world countries". A more honest statement would be to tell people they want to speed the development of slave labor in third world countries.
The true colors of the WTO are showing, as they put their own profit making ability above the needs of the entire world. Even worse, these decisions are being made without any care as to what the people think. It is a closed-door forum, in which public input is not accepted. In our supposed "democracy", these decisions which will determine the survival of countless ecosystems, and countless cultures, are being bought by transnational corporations. Democratic indeed.
So, how do I get involved?
I want more information…
My personal favorite sources for updates on the WTO issue are the following Seattle-based newspapers which you can read on the internet:
Keep checking the YFIS website for more details, and look forward to pamphlets and articles focusing on the global economy and the movement against the policies of the WTO. We’ll see you in Seattle!
YFIS anti-WTO action coordinator,
Aaron Kuller