Submitted by Fremen on Thu, 02/19/2009 - 8:00pm
I was living in Seattle in November of 1999. I walked downtown occasionally to partake of the atmosphere surrounding the WTO Ministry meeting and discussing the trade policies that would shape the future of trade worldwide.
The emotional and physical tsunami that rose to utterly reject and repel this event in principal was palpable and its presence could be felt a mile away like a tremor deep in the earth. It was like a body rejecting a possessing demon, heaving and lurching, crawling up the walls and spewing obscenities. I couldn't help at those times but be moved by the passion of the people who came from all over the world to be there and enjoy the comfort of their conscience for having demonstrated their feelings: not a one would later in life kick themselves for doing nothing while the tide of unfettered economic dictatorship washed over the world.
The WTO is structured to run by consensus, however, according to its website, there is movement to alter this in a direction that makes me uncomfortable.
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The WTO is run by its member governments. All major decisions are made by the membership as a whole, either by ministers (who meet at least once every two years) or by their ambassadors or delegates (who meet regularly in Geneva). Decisions are normally taken by consensus.
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In the WTO, power is not delegated to a board of directors or the organization’s head.
Then later...
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Nevertheless, proposals for the creation of a smaller executive body — perhaps like a board of directors each representing different groups of countries — are heard periodically.
The danger with a governing body like the WTO is in the way it is not accountable to people. Intelligentsia in the organization can begin to make decisions that make or break economies and trade relationships which does not reflect the diplomatic ties of countries and their friends in the world. The more commerce and diplomacy gets out of the hands of people, the more the people are at the mercy of commerce and diplomacy or lack thereof.
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Protestors are concerned at the corporate drive in international trade where national safety standards, laws and rules are often deemed as barriers to trade and a largely unelected set of WTO officials can make these decisions. Criticism is also towards the corporate influence on the way the actual rules of trade are made (and what the rules are), as corporations are not democratic and yet the rules that they are pushing forth via the WTO affect everyone. Coupled with the IMF and World Bank structural adjustment policies making developed countries dependent upon industrialized countries, this is a concern as the beneficiaries of global trade in its current form is seriously skewed.
There is much debate about whether the WTO is accountable to the people residing within its member states.
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The reality
1. The WTO is as democratic as its member governments; and between the members it is ultra-democratic because decisions are taken by consensus — all members have to be persuaded.
2. The rules are written by member governments, no one else has access to the negotiations.
However, governments, which are elected democratically by their citizens, do take into account the views of various groups in their societies. How they do that is up to them and their citizens. Governments regularly cite pressure from consumer, environmental, human rights and labour organizations, as well as business. The structure of negotiations also helps governments strike a more equitable balance between various interest groups over a broad range of issues.
Before they take effect, WTO rules and agreements are approved by all national parliaments.
Is it just me, or are they asserting an assumption that all members of the WTO are democracies? Heh.
The website is worth a look, the present face of worldwide trade is outlined in a colorful, public-friendly way that reminds me of walking into a new exhibit at the children's museum.
I can't help but be skeptical of the motivations of corporate trade, as if the creation of the WTO is somehow an altruistic panacea for international commerce. What was wrong with countries trading with each other as autonomous entities? What is wrong with small-scale trade organizations made up of producers cooperating with consumers? What better protections can be afforded to undeveloped countries than the honest interest of people who want to build a relationship of fair trade? Fair trade practices have proven to support local agriculture, environmentalism, and economies, all with simple cooperation. Cancel bureaucracy, cancel the middle-men that dogpile themselves in between consumers and producers (marking up along the way), invest in people. Real people. Announce that you are going to do this, and see how many show up to protest.
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Re: WTO and Beyond
Right on, Brutha!
Re: WTO and Beyond
I feel the WTO is a sham. It's a way to gloss over the fact that we contiue to do business with countries who torture their citizens. We continue to feed into, and in fact sustain as a result - slave labor and child labor.
It was a sham in 99 and it's a sham today.
Just my opinion.