RESIST THE FREE TRADE AREA OF THE AMERICAS (FTAA)
Cuba blasts U.S. trade policy toward Latam, Caribbean (Nov. 30, 2002 / EFE)
Americas Free Trade opponents end conference calling for national (Nov. 29, 2002 / AP)
FTAA: freedom for the transnationals, blockade for human beings (Nov. 26, 2002 / Granma) - report on the 2nd World Meeting of Struggle against the Free Trade Area of the Americas held in Habana; The foreseeable consequences of the FTAA are pernicious (Nov. 29, 2002 / Granma)
Second Hemispheric Meeting Against FTAA Underway in Cuba (November 26, 2002 / Marxist-Leninist Daily)
Opponents of U.S.-backed free trade pact meet to plan strategy (Nov. 25, 2002 / AP)
Second Hemispheric Anti-FTAA Meeting begins (Nov. 25, 2002 / Granma) - report on the opening day of the 2nd World Meeting of Struggle against the Free Trade Area of the Americas held in Habana
People's Colonol Wins Presidency (Nov. 25, 2002 / Washington Post) Lucio Gutierrez emerges victorious in Ecuador elections.
FTAA: Who Decides? (November 25, 2002 / Marxist-Leninist Daily) - a full issue devoted to FTAA topics; many good articles here.
Libre opinion: Où s'en va la ZLEA après la réunion de Quito? (25 nov. 2002 / Le Devoir)
Perspectives - Un AMI qui nous veut du bien (23 nov. 2002 / Le Devoir) The victory of the popular groundswell which defeated the secretive and anti-democratic Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI - or AMI in French) is now being undermined; even as the infamously two-faced Pierre Pettigrew intones reassurances about not repeating the Chapter 11 debacle, investor-state provisions are being incorporated in bilateral trade deals as a matter of policy.
Canada wins some points in free trade fight with American delivery company (Nov. 22, 2002 / CP) The UPS challenge has been partially fended off, "although there are still issues to be decided...."
US Treasury Official:Bilateral Mercosur Talks A Good Idea (Nov. 22, 2002 / Dow Jones)
«Chapitre 11»: les volte-face d'Ottawa déconcertent Québec (21 nov. 2002 / Le Devoir) Pierre Pettigrew tones down his criticism of Chapter 11 in an attempt to bring his rhetoric more in line with the truth (policy at DFAIT has all along been for Pettigrew's drudges to churn out investor-state-stuffed bilateral trade deals as fast as you can say 'corporate takeover'). See also: Recours au «chapitre 11» - Pettigrew est étonné par la position de Québec (23 nov. 2002 / Le Devoir)
Commerce: Lula plus «dur» avec les États-Unis (21 novembre, 2002 / AFP)
L'Assemblée nationale défendra l'exception culturelle et éducative (21 nov. 2002 / Le Devoir)
Farm subsidies stumbling block to free trade: Brazilian minister and U.S. Congressman (Nov. 21, 2002 / AP)
Latin American Indians forge cross-border ties (Nov. 20, 2002 / EFE)
Cuba ratifies its position on the FTAA in Brazil (Nov. 20, 2002 / Granma)
Selon un mémoire destiné au Conseil des ministres - Ottawa entend signer des chapitres 11 partout (20 nov. 2002 / Le Devoir)
U.S., Singapore Near Pact on Trade (Nov. 20, 2002 / Washington Post) The Race to the Bottom is spurred on by the U.S. Trade Representative: "...At a news conference in Singapore yesterday [USTR Robert Zoellick reiterated] his long-held view that Washington should pursue negotiations on bilateral, regional and global levels simultaneously. His strategy, which he calls 'competitive liberalization', is based on the belief that countries are more likely to accept the terms of broad, multilateral trade agreements -- in particular the Doha Round -- if they are worried about being excluded from narrower deals...."
ZLEA: pour les États-Unis, tout peut être négocié (19 novembre, 2002 / AFP)
Pressing for a Trade Pact (Nov. 19, 2002 / Washington Post) "Brazilians...see President Bush's decision earlier this year to sign a key farm bill extending $180 billion in subsidies to American farmers over the next decade as further evidence of Washington's general unwillingness to bend on the [agricultural] issue]. Given that about 43 percent of Brazil's $58.2 billion export industry and almost half of its domestic jobs are tied to agribusiness, many here fear that they would be offering the United States access to Latin America's prize market while getting little in return...."
Brazil urges delay of free trade zone (Nov. 18, 2002 / AP) Lula's top economic advisor, Guido Mantega, said it was unrealistic to expect countries to prepare proposals for market access by Feb. 15: "The United States is not reducing its protectionism, especially regarding agriculture products," he said. "That makes the deadline unworkable." Meanwhile, Otto Reich is off to Brazil to pave the way for a Bush visit in December Brazil Lula Party To Meet Otto Reich Ahead Of Visit To US (Nov. 19, 2002 / DowJones)
Un responsable américain appelle Lula à coopérer avec la ZLEA (18 novembre, 2002 / AFP)
Mexican legislators seek protective tariffs for agriculture (Nov. 18, 2002 / Food Chemical News) - but... "if any protective tariffs are enacted under Article 131, they would probably be overruled by the dispute resolution bodies of NAFTA or the World Trade Organization."
Mexico's Farmers Are Getting Plowed Under (Nov. 14, 2002 / Business Week Online) "...If our situation doesn't change quickly, Mexico's 15,000 pork producers face complete collapse," says Carlos Ramayo, head of the Confederation of Mexican Pork Producers. Terry Francl, senior economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation, calls it a "win-win situation"....
Otra America Es Posible (November 14, 2002 / ZNet) - Justin Ruben discusses past strategies and potential future ones for resisting the FTAA. The analysis favors pan-hemispheric intitiatives, rather than narrow, national-oriented campaigns. This is a lucid and incisive piece that deserves special attention.
In Quito, the FTAA Goes on the Defensive (Nov. 12, 2002 / Americas Program) - polished version of the previously archived "Letter from Ecuador" (Oct. 31).
Representatives of EU and Mercosur discuss free trade agreement in Brazil (Nov. 11, 2002 / AP)
Biased Toward Brazil (November 11, 2002 / Washington Post) Letter from the president of Southern Gardens Citrus : "Florida citrus growers oppose making unprecedented concessions to Brazil on sugar, citrus and steel. Offering concessions on citrus in order to move forward with the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) would be devastating to the Florida citrus industry. Brazil owns the world citrus market outside the United States because of its lower social, regulatory, labor and environmental costs. Brazil's comparative advantage is in wages, not efficiency. Harvesters in Florida earn each day what Brazilian workers are paid per week. Lowering agricultural tariffs is a statement that practices illegal here are fine elsewhere, in effect subsidizing reprehensible behavior in other countries....."
Fighting Plan Columbia (Nov. 10, 2002 / CKUT Radio) - audio interview with Manuel Rozental of the Canada-Columbia Solidarity Campaign which offers an indigenous perspective on the links between Plan Columbia, the FTAA, and the 'war against terrorism', and which also includes a powerful and detailed indictment of Columbian President Alvaro Uribe.
Methanex Files Updated NAFTA Claim Against California's Ban of Additive MTBE (November 10, 2002 / Bureau of National Affairs, Inc)
FTAA Ministerial Sets Negotiating Schedule Despite Differences on Agriculture and Civil Society Groups Scrutinise Intellectual Property Provisions in FTAA Text (Nov. 7, 2002 / Bridges) - Bridges is a publication of the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), which is supposedly a pro-environment NGO, but which in fact acts primarily to co-opt environmental initiatives and to 'green' trade regimes such as the WTO. The board of governors presently includes Canadian elitist/globalist and Power Corporation executive Sylvia Ostry, and a host of other co-optation experts.
Translation of a statement presented to (some of) the trade ministers at an FTAA "civil society forum" in Quito last week (November 7, 2002)
Libre-échange Canada-Costa Rica: à petits pas vers la ZLEA (6 novembre, 2002 / Cyberpresse) - notice the weak (sanctionless) environmental side-agreement which has been tacked on to this FTA. Although the environment emerges a big loser as the scope of regulatory powers is forcibly diminished, environmental lawyers working within the International Sustainable Development Law (ISDL) networks will benefit from lucrative sinecures created in the new (but relatively useless) environmental agencies. This is a nice illustration of how ISDL is working to coopt environmental opposition to FTAs.
Coverage of the Quito negotiations by major Canadian media (November 6, 2002 / C. Buchanan)
Free Trade Area of the Americas Takes Shape (Nov. 6, 2002 / Environmental News Service)
Dévoilement de la nouvelle version du texte de négociation - Les ministres de la ZLEA tiennent promesse (5 novembre, 2002 / Le Devoir) «On nous disait, à l'époque, que c'était impossible de rendre public un pareil texte. Cela a été une victoire obtenue grâce aux manifestants. Les parlementaires ne l'avaient même pas demandé.» - Dorval Brunelle
Free Trade, Free People (November 5, 2002 / Wall Street Journal) - A brief manifesto of American trade-imperialism delivered by Robert Zoellick, USTR. The main thrust of Zoellick's arguments is this: he claims that free trade will help to eliminate the elitist economic manipulations at the national level, and thus make for increased 'democracy'. What he doesn't mention is that this will be accomplished by allowing the most powerful elite interests to dominate over national level democracy from the platform of international regimes (NAFTA, FTAA, WTO, ...). This is what free trade - the core policy of neoliberalism - is all about: vastly increasing the power of concentrated capital by liberating it from the attenuating pressures of democracy....
Another America Is Possible (November 4, 2002 / ZNet) - good reportage and analysis of Quito events by Marc Becker
Manifesto of Women on FTAA (Nov. 3, 2002 / Ecuador Indymedia)
Quito Covered in Ash by Volcanic Eruption (November 3, 2002 / Reuters) - El Reventador speaks....
Canada moves on bilateral trade negotiations in wake of FTAA summit (November 3, 2002 / CP) - Like the U.S., Canada is actively pursuing a divide and conquer free-trade strategy via bilateral deals. So-called 'experts' are claiming that deals like the proposed 'Central America Four' agreement are the solution "for reducing the stranglehold of the U.S. market." The fact that the problems alluded to were hugely exacerbated by previous free trade deals (FTA, NAFTA) is neatly ignored. Problems with free trade? ... Nothing that more free trade can't cure!; Version française: En marge de la ZLEA - Le Canada poursuit des négociations bilatérales avec quatre pays d'Amérique centrale
Social and economic crises stagger Latin Americans (Nov. 2, 2002 / Calgary Herald) - not the typical Calgary Herald fare!
Miami to host talks on hemispheric trade (November 2, Miami Herald)
Parce que tout le monde à son mot à dire sur la ZLEA (2 novembre, 2002 / Alternatives)
Réunion de Quito - Divergence de vues entre le Nord et le Sud (2 novembre, 2002 / Le Devoir)
Entrevue avec Robert Pastor, conseiller de Jimmy Carter - Le ménage à trois de l'ALENA (2 novembre, 2002 / Le Devoir)
Fredericton: Haunted City Tour, In Solidarity with Anti-Ftaa demos (November 1, 2002 / Maritimes Indymedia)
PEI residents Reclaim the Streets Against the FTAA -1 Person Detained, uncharged (November 1, 2002 / Maritimes Indymedia)
Indigenous Assembly Condemns FTAA (November 1, 2002 / IPS)
Police Rebel and Anti-Free Trade Protests in Quito End on Positive Note (Nov. 1, 2002 / FoodFirst) - "The protests against the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) -- and the police violence that rocked Quito during the day yesterday -- ended on a positive note for protesters in the evening, putting the Bush Administration's negotiator, Mr. Robert Zoellick, in an embarrassing and awkward position...." Excellent coverage, and includes links to photos, previous articles, resources, etc (see menu bar to the left)
Western Hemisphere Nations To Tackle Tariff Issue In Dec (November 1, 2002 / AP)
Trade in the Americas (November 1, 2002 / Washington Post) - a short, neoliberal-biased article which nevertheless has one or two interesting points. Like a few other recent articles, it peddles the idea that "Ronald Reagan invoked the idea of a Free Trade Area of the Americas," a fiction which is being pushed by Robert Zoellick in his official communiqués (see: Zoellick to Join FTAA Ministers in Building Momentum for Crucial Phase of Talks - October 30, 2002 / Office of USTR). Another point that merits attention is the argument about how Florida's citrus and sugar industries will suffer if the U.S. yields to Brazil and stops subsidizing those industries, the tacit implication being, I suppose, that this may fuel resistance in Miami surrounding the 2003 ministerial ....
Trade meeting in flux (November 1, 2002 / Miami Herald) "...by far the biggest disagreement was over the issue of U.S. agricultural subsidies. For Brazil, which runs a trade deficit in manufacturing and machinery, the only way to increase exports is through agriculture -- exporting citrus and soy to the United States...."
Protests at Quito FTAA summit (November 1, 2002 / Nassau Guardian)
U.S. Works to Calm Free Trade Talks (November 1, 2002 / AP) - compare this article now with this one: Tensions rise as free-trade talks end (November 2, 2002 / AP, CP) which has been modified for Asper Inc. consumption... see any differences?
US, Latam Agree on Americas Free Trade Zone by 2005 (November 1, 2002 / Reuters) The headline might claim that there is agreement, but most indications are that the more typical 'Latam' popular sentiment is reflected in Bolivian Indian activist Wilber Flores' comments: "There isn't freedom of thought. The Yankees are forcing us to agree with them. But we feel differently (about the FTAA)...." The article also mentions that Miami has been set as the location for the 2003 ministerial (more Jeb Bush lobbying). The 2004 ministerial (supposedly the final one) will be held somewhere in Brazil.
Five Thousand March Against FTAA in Sao Paulo, Brasil (Nov. 1, 2002 / Montreal Indymedia)
31 of October: more than 10,000 people in Quito anti-ALCA protests (November 1, 2002 / Ecuador Indymedia) - includes links to other Ecuador Indymedia articles on the protest.
U.S. tries to steer Americas on free trade (November 1, 2002 / UPI) - Latin American negotiators are strongly criticizing "the protectionist stance of the United States on agricultural goods." Meanwhile, Argentine human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel called the FTAA "a new form of colonization of the continent" and Brazilian Bishop Demetrio Valentino said "the FTAA would incorporate the most perverse of neo-liberalism: individualism and the sense of gain, without commiseration for the poor."
U.S.-Backed Trade Pact Meets Strong Opposition in Ecuador (November 1, 2002 / OneWorld) Excerpt: "...[the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE)] believes the [FTAA] agreement would hasten petroleum and mining exploration in the country's fragile Amazon region, and hurt the livelihoods of small-scale farmers by opening up markets to imports of subsidized food products from the U.S...." The article also mentions a revealing study on the effects of NAFTA by Tufts University researchers Timothy Wise and Kevin Gallagher (see 'analysis' section of this website for a link). Their study study has revealed that: "real wages for most Mexican workers have dropped by 23 percent since NAFTA began, ... and NAFTA has not brought cleaner technologies to Mexican industries; industrial pollution has nearly doubled since 1988 and real spending on the environment has declined by 45 percent since NAFTA took effect...."
Lettres: Arrêtons de faire de la politique de salon (1 nov. 2002 / Le Devoir)
Free trade deal in the balance (Nov. 1, 2002 / BBC)
Clouds over Quito (Oct. 31, 2002 / The Economist) The prospects for the FTAA look pretty poor, according to this article. U.S. reluctance to reduce agricultural subsidies is likely to be a major sticking point. "...Almost 100,000 jobs in Florida, for instance, depend on the citrus industry...."
Countries line up to sign US trade deals (Oct. 31, 2002 / Financial Times) - This article looks at the recent U.S. strategy of undermining collective regional unity by negotiating bilateral trade deals. The strategy is analyzed a bit, but, this being the Financial Times, no mention is made of the main underlying logic: namely, that it allows democracy to be whittled away relatively unnoticed, thus avoiding the concentrated public outrage that larger-scale deals like the WTO and the FTAA engender.
FTAA / Campbell protest (October 31, 2002 / Vancouver Indymedia) "over 100 people marched and rallied in Vancouver today to protest the FTAA and its local puppet Gorden Campbell..."
Letter from Ecuador (Oct. 31, 2002 / Colours of Resistance Network) - a passionate, personal account of Quito actions on the 31st. Thanks to Justin for writing and posting this one! By the way, contrast Justin's version of the 'civil society'/ministers meeting with that of Pierre Pettigrew (see: FTAA: Objective 2005 - Nov. 1, 2002 / DFAIT): "Our work this week was greatly aided by the contributions of a broad spectrum of representatives of civil society. The views we heard are proof of the health and strength of the democracies of the Americas, and they will constantly remind us that the FTAA must benefit all the citizens of the hemisphere." Brazen, deadpan, duplicitous Pettigrew -- quintessential frontman for the corporate-state goliath.
FTAA's corporate global agenda undermines access to quality public post-secondary education (October 31, 2002 / Montreal Muslim News)
Leaders see FTAA as threat to health and call on Canadian government to stop negotiations (October 31, 2002 / Canadian News Wire)
Latin American Countries Skeptical of U.S. Trade Agreement (October 31, 2002 / New York Times)
Smaller Western Hemisphere economies seek end to U.S. agricultural subsidies (October 31, 2002 / AP)
International Labour and the Elections in Brazil (Oct. 31, 2002 / International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations)
10,000 Protest the FTAA in Quito (Oct. 31, 2002 / Enlace) - 10, 000 in Quito plus 15,000 in Cuenca...; Ecuador: Thousands protest FTAA (October 31, 2002 / Reuters via Indymedia); Huit blessés dans une manifestation anti-ZLEA à Quito (31 octobre, 2002 / AFP) ; Demonstrators March Against Free-Trade Talks In Quito (October 31, 2002 / AP); Amid growing resistance, U.S. hopes to keep talks on Americas' free trade pact on track (October 31, 2002 / AP) Evo Morales: "What we've done until now is cede our national markets in exchange for absolutely nothing. We can't export anything (to the United States) and they export everything to us."
Protesters try to storm McDonald's restaurant ahead of free trade talks in Ecuador (October 30, 2002 / AP)
Anti-FTAA Protests Turn Violent (October 30, 2002 / Ecuador Indymedia)
Ecuador: Anti-FTAA heats up (October 30, 2002 / Indymedia)
why the FTAA sucks: a pre-protest analysis (October 30, 2002 / Montreal Indymedia)
Ecuador: Activists Prepare for FTAA Summit (October 29, 2002 / Indymedia)
Désaccord au sein des antimondialisation - La FTQ boude le référendum sur la ZLEA (October 31, 2002) - FTQ 'leadership' has opted out of an upcoming plebiscite on the FTAA, telling the workers it purports to represent that the FTAA is "inevitable".
U.S. business optimistic on Brazil in trade pact (October 30, 2002 / Reuters) - Using a metaphor which is much used in corporate 'motivational' programs, Tom Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, taunts: "Everybody can find a seat on the bus. But when the bus is ready to leave, if two or three or four countries out of a whole hemisphere decide that they're not ready, it's not in their interest, they don't want to play in the game, then they can stand by the side of the road when the bus leaves." Intimidation and threats of ostracism: the favorite tools of the corporate motivativators.
Light industries pursued in FTAA (October 30, 2002 / Nassau Guardian) - Not of much interest unless you live in the Bahamas... but note how we find many times more articles about FTAA negotiations in a Bahamanian newspaper than in all the Canadian Global Media newspapers combined! Coverage in U.S. papers has been incredibly sparse as well....
US Wants FTAA Ministers To Set Firm Dates For Bargaining (October 30, 2002 / DowJones) - with many governments suggesting that the officially projected 2005 implementation date of the FTAA is hopelessly unrealistic, the U.S. is now resorting to a counter-strategy of locking trade representatives into accelerated negotiating time-frames. And for governments hesitant to embark in the FTAA, the U.S. is providing generous support for 'technical-assistance programs' designed to facilitate the surrender of democratic rights and to smooth things over with that troublesome sector known as the public....
Les syndicalistes opposés à la ZLEA risquent la mort (30 octobre, 2002 / La Presse)
En attendant une éventuelle ZLEA - Le Canada se tricote sa propre zone de libre-échange (October 30, 2002 / Le Devoir)
Americas-Wide Free Trade Faces Hurdle (October 30, 2002 / Reuters); Traduction française: La ZLÉA en difficulté à la réunion de Quito
Govt will not 'blindly' join FTAA, WTO - Miller (October 29, 2002 / Nassau Guardian) "The Bahamas is not compelled to join any regional, hemispheric or international trading arrangement, according to Minister of Trade and Industry, Leslie Miller...."
En route vers Quito - Les opposants à la ZLEA entendent garder la tête froide (29 octobre, 2002 / Le Devoir)
Lula place le Mercosur avant la ZLEA (29 octobre, 2002 / AFP); for more perspective on Lula, see Roger Burbach's article: Brazil’s Lula: A Challenge to Washington? (October 28, 2002)
Sécurité des investissements - Pour Pettigrew, le «chapitre 11» a fait ses preuves (29 octobre, 2002 / Le Devoir)
Pettigrew's Response to the Report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (SCFAIT) "Strengthening Canada's Economic Links with the Americas" (Oct. 28, 2002) - Slippery Pete Pettigrew is at it again, demonstrating his legendary evasiveness. In this official government release, Pettigrew is forced to deal with the second part of the SCFAIT report's Recommendation 21; namely, "that... NAFTA type investor-state provisions should be excluded from the FTAA agreement." This, it should be noted, is one of the few clauses which accurately reflects the commentary heard by the committee from citizens and groups representing non-corporate Canada. Over and over again at the hearings, non-corporate Canadians expressed their categorical rejection of investor-state provisions in trade agreements, and the authors of the final summary report, in spite of a deep neoliberal bias, simply found it impossible to respin or to ignore this view. Pettigrew's response?: "Although the set of investment rules contained in NAFTA Chapter 11 has worked relatively well, the Government is not advocating the replication of the NAFTA dispute settlement rules in the FTAA." Characteristically, slippery Pete simultaneously suggests some sort of commitment to avoid investor-state provisions, but in fact commits to nothing. Simply alter a comma in Chapter 11 and Pettigrew could say - "ah, now we are not replicating the chapter." Recent reports indicate that this is exactly what he has told his negotiators do (see: Canada Backs Firms Suing America Trade Pact States - October 24, 2002 / Reuters).
Protesters against FTAA begin marches to capital ahead of Ecuador summit (October 28, 2002 / AP) "Protesters from around Ecuador objecting to the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas began a weeklong march to the capital ahead of a FTAA summit to discuss the treaty...."
Officials begin talks on FTAA impact on small Caribbean economies (October 28, 2002 / AP) "...Bahamian trade unions said Sunday they were concerned the new treaty would offer little protection to workers and provide few if any policies for settling international disputes or protecting the environment. 'What is alarming is the complete lack of measures designed to protect the environment and labor rights,' said Obie Ferguson, president of the Bahamas' umbrella Trade Union Congress."
Lula Wins Brazil Election as Serra Concedes Defeat (October 27, 2002 / Reuters)
Brazilian Seeks a Fine Balance (October 27, 2002 / Washington Post) As Brazilians go to the polls today, "...Lula has not changed his message about the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) ... even constituencies traditionally supportive of Washington's economic policy have endorsed his position...."
Caricom backs T'dad, but Miami likely venue for FTAA secretariat (October 26, 2002 / Jamaica Observer) With Jeb Bush's Florida FTAA Inc. engaged in an all-out lobbying effort to have Miami chosen as FTAA headquarters, Trinidad's bid is viewed as more or less hopeless.
Rencontre de Quito - La ZLEA verra-t-elle le jour? (26 octobre, 2002 / Le Devoir)
Sondage commandé par Ottawa - Les Canadiens estiment que la ZLEA leur serait favorable (26 octobre, 2002 / Le Devoir) This survey contrasts sharply with the one done recently by Léger Marketing (see Le Devoir article from October 12 below) which reveals a high level of suspicion among Canadians regarding who is actually benefitting from economic liberalization treaties.
ZLEA: le Canada veut un «chapitre 11» (25 octobre, 2002 / Le Devoir); Canada Backs Firms Suing America Trade Pact States (October 24, 2002 / Reuters) In spite of Pierre Pettigrew's longstanding reassurances that nothing resembling Chapter 11 would be included in the FTAA, it appears that Canadian negotiators in Quito will in fact be pushing to have an investor-state section included in the second draft text of the FTAA.... Excerpt:
Photo: Thousands of anti-FTAA demonstrators march through the streets of Bolivia (October 24, 2002 / Reuters)
Perspectives - Querelles de chapitre (24 octobre, 2002 / Le Devoir)
All out October 31: Stop FTAA's corporate terror (Oct. 23, 2002 / Socialist Worker)
NAFTA update (October 23, 2002):
Ecuador update (October 22, 2002):
ZLEA, Pettigrew ne craint pas l'élection de Lula au Brésil (22 octobre, 2002 / Le Devoir)
Free trade endangers medicare: report (Oct. 21, 2002 / Canada.com)
Cairns Officials Slam EU, Japan (October 19, 2002 / Reuters) - U.S. trade bullying continues.... Robert Zoellick, USTR, meets with the Cairns group to discuss agricultural liberalization strategies. With Bush's new farm bill raising subsidies for some crops and dairy products by 67 percent, U.S. trade negotiators apparently now feel they have sufficient leverage to dictate terms in liberalization bargaining.
Ask Trade Minister Pettigrew: Will the FTAA give corporations the power to sue governments? - Council of Canadians campaign to fax Pettigrew and demand a clear position before he makes his getaway to Quito. Here is a revealing article from 2000 which gives an indication of Pettigrew's declared position regarding the FTAA at that time: Don't link trade to other issues, says minister (June 15, 2000 / Financial Post). See also: Canada Seeks Review of NAFTA's Chapter 11 (Dec. 13, 2000 / Globe & Mail).
ILC on the FTAA to begin Oct. 28 (October 17, 2002 / Nassau Guardian)
The FTAA: a Threat to Public Education (October 15, 2002 / Quid Novi) Quid Novi is a publication of McGill University's Faculty of Law; see also: FTAA March on October 31st
Leaders from Ecuador, Peru to discuss Latin American economies (October 14, 2002 / AP) Robert Zoellick and Jeb Bush join an elite-fest of 500 businessmen and a handful of Latin American leaders at the Biltmore Hotel in Miami for some PR-strategizing, big-guy bluster (seminars on things like "Building Global Brands"), and all-round pep-talk. Check out the Conference website for more details.
U.S. Trade Envoy Optimistic on Hemispheric Pact (October 14, 2002 / Reuters) Speaking at an elite-fest at the Biltmore hotel in Miami, home of Jeb Bush's Florida FTAA Inc., Robert Zoellick says that America will pursue a divide-and-conquer trade strategy if FTAA prospects continue to look dim.
Sondage Léger Marketing - Le Québec se méfie de la mondialisation (12-13 oct., 2002 / Le Devoir)
Oct. 12 Columbus Day Protests in Latin America: 510 Years of Discrimination against Indians (October 11, 2002 / IPS); Indians protest Columbus Day across Mexico, Central America (October 12, 2002 / AP). The latter article is not a sympathetic one, and both articles fail to highlight the prominence of anti-FTAA sentiment underlying the protests. These Photos of Oct. 12 Protests help a bit to set the record straight. See also: Thousands Rise Up Against New Era of Corporate Colonialism (October 11, 2002 / ZNet)
ZLEA - Ottawa ne craint pas le chapitre 11 (11 oct., 2002 / Le Devoir) - A Council of Canadians press release, DFAIT Official: No Chapter "As Is" in the FTAA (October 11, 2002 / Council of Canadians), expands upon this news by underlining the fact that this policy reflects recommendations within a parliamentary subcommittee report entitled: "Strengthening Canada's Economic Links With The Americas".
Comme le Brésil - Le Québec aura son référendum sur la ZLEA (10 oct., 2002 / Le Devoir)
US sees Quito meeting as key to final FTAA push (October 9, 2002 / Reuters) "the United States will urge other countries at an upcoming Ecuador meeting to agree to a timetable for finishing the negotiations by January 2005, a top U.S. trade official said Wednesday..."
U.S. seeks to limit lawsuits by foreign firms (October 7, 2002 / Washington Times) "The Bush administration plans to restrict the ability of foreign companies to sue American governments when it negotiates new free-trade agreements, U.S. trade officials say...."
Brazil Presidential Race in Runoff (October 7, 2002 / AP); Brazil's presidential race goes to second round (October 7, 2002 / AP) "...For many, Silva also represents a challenge to a Free Trade Area of the Americas, a U.S.-backed effort to link up the hemisphere in the world's largest free trade bloc by 2005. Silva has said the FTAA is Washington's 'annexation plan of Latin America'.... "
Mondialisation - Les accords de libre-échange remettent-ils en cause nos systèmes d'éducation? (5-6 oct., 2002 / Le Devoir)
Brazil on brink of electing a worker president (October 5, 2002 / Burbach); Dejected Brazilians Look to Left (October 6, 2002 / Washington Post)
Some recent mainstream articles about Ecuador: Ecuador pulls out of IMF loan negotiations (October 3, 2002 / AP); Ecuador president bristles over IMF negotiations (Sept. 30, 2002 / AP); Polls show Borja and Noboa leading Ecuador presidential race (Sept. 30, 2002 / AP); Ecuador, U.S. Set Up Panel To Resolve Oil Co Tax Dispute (Sept. 25, 2002 / Dow Jones)
First Amazonian Youth Meeting Against the FTAA (Oct. 2, 2002 / Ecuador Indymedia)
Prochaine réunion le 31 octobre à Quito - Une seconde version de l'Accord de la ZLEA est en préparation (1 oct., 2002 / Le Devoir)
Bush Expects More Free Trade Deals (October 1, 2002 / AP) The U.S. is following Canada's lead and expanding bilateral trade deals as leverage to force other countries into a larger FTAA deal.
Candidate Says Brazil Will Pay Debts (Sept. 30, 2002 / AP) "...but, Lula warned, continuing present economic policy and the resulting high interest rates could lead to bankruptcy and default." Of the FTAA, Lula said it "will only become viable when all countries have equal opportunities and conditions to become competitive. If we do not first create the mechanisms to achieve this competitiveness then the strong economies will suffocate the weaker ones." Meanwhile, Brazil's undersecretary for economic and external trade is downplaying differences by giving the impression that, in spite of the rhetoric, the various election candidates really support 'business as usual': Brazil Official: All Candidates Back Current Trade Policy (Sept. 30, 2002 / Dow Jones).
Uncle Sam Works His Way Into Brazil Election (Sept. 26, 2002 / Reuters) "....Whoever is elected in Brazil, it will not be, I think, business as usual," said Kenneth Maxwell, director of the Latin America Program at New York's Council on Foreign Relations. "If Brazil chooses to reject FTAA head on in January, the U.S. will obviously need to rethink its agenda in the region on trade questions...."
Anti-FTAA Social Forum in San Francisco US (Sept. 26, 2002 / Ecuador Indymedia)
Full Report on Brazil's National Plebiscite on the FTAA and Alcantara (Sept. 25, 2002 / MST)
USTR: Nations Wanting Fast FTAA Should Forge Ahead (Sept. 20, 2002 / Dow Jones)
Confronting the FTAA: An evening of images & words of resistance; Montreal, Monday, Sept. 23 (CLAC)
Brazil President Candidate: IMF Money Won't End Econ Crisis (Sept. 18, 2002 / AP) - article based on an interview with Argentine Todo Noticias television in which Lula, in addition to lambasting the IMF, reaffirms his opposition to the FTAA. Compare it with this article - Brazil's Lula Says War-Focused Bush Ignores Latam (Sept. 18, 2002 / AP) - based on the same interview, but which portrays Lula as "a radical leftist wolf in sheep's clothing." Oh my - sound the alarm! A leftist wolf stalks the defenceless capitalist sheep!
Référendum sur la ZLÉA: 98% de non au Brésil (Sept. 17, 2002 / Agence France-Presse)
10 Million Brazilian Votes against Hemisphere's FTAA (Sept. 17, 2002 / IPS) - "Approximately 98 percent of the 10.1 million people who responded to a survey conducted Sep 1-7 in 3,894 municipalities throughout Brazil gave a resounding "NO" to the question: 'Should the Brazilian government sign the FTAA treaty?'...."
The geopolitics of orange juice (Sept. 12, 2002 / The Economist) An in-depth article that looks at some of the opposition to the FTAA coming from Brazilian establishment interests. Note this interesting fact: "Sao Paulo's industrialists' federation has published a study suggesting that the pact [FTAA that is] could lop $2.2 billion a year off Brazil's trade surplus."
Chavez promises 2003 plebiscite on FTAA in Venezuela (September 11, 2002 / Brazil Indymedia)
To Hell With the 7th Summit of the FTAA (Sept. 10, 2002 / Ecuador Indymedia)
Canadians, Americans split on benefits of NAFTA (Sept. 7, 2002 / National Post) According to this National Post poll, the majority of Canadians believe free trade has hurt them.
Thousands protest FTAA on Brazil's independence day (September 7, 2002 / AP)
Amazonian Indigenous Federation Launches anti-FTAA Campaign (September 6, 2002 / CONFENIAE)
Brazil's bishops, NGOs launch plebiscite on Americas trade block (September 1, 2002 / AP)
No Easy Road for the FTAA (August 15, 2002 / Radio Progreso)
Request for Solidarity from Ecuador (August 9, 2002)
3000 March against the FTAA in Fortaleza, Brazil (August 8, 2002) (see also these Poster Photos)
7000 March in opposition to Paul O'Neill's Argentina visit (August 6, 2002)
Anti-FTAA march at Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil/Uruguay border) (August 3, 2002)
FTAA and Government Repression in Ecuador: an eyewitness account (August 1, 2002)
SOUTH AMERICA: Summit Seeks Unity before Embarking on FTAA (July 27, 2002 / IPS)
Florida FTAA, Inc. - Founded by Jeb Bush (brother of Dubya), this organization is sending a delegation down to Ecuador to lobby for having Miami selected as the future FTAA headquarters
Montreal: Panel Discussion On The Free Trade Area Of The Americas
Update on Citizens’ Campaigns on the FTAA (July 3, 2002 / Funders Network on Trade and Globalization)
Getting Serious About An Anti FTAA Strategy (March 6, 2002 / ZNet)
The FTAA after Quebec (September, 2001 / CCPA)