The WTO-World Trade Organization-Ministerial Conference is coming to Seattle, WA, November 30th to December 3rd and so are the people of the world to oppose it!

What the WTO Really Means for the People of the World

What is the WTO?

The WTO, along with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and all other imperialist organizations, share the common goal of ensuring the continued domination of global capitalism-imperialism-over the people of the world no matter what the human cost. The stated intent of the WTO is to maintain a "level playing field" for international trade. They say that this is a new era and that eventually the prosperity the rich nations have will spread world-wide to the benefit of all.

However, globalization is not new-we've been living in a global economy for over 100 years and we know the results: wars, crisis and famines. However, what is new is the intensification and consoldation of globalization that is happening now and what it means to the people of the world. Globalization has meant the devastation of the environment, of agriculture, and the growth of a booming migrant industry--35 million workers each year leave their families and homelands in search of jobs. It has meant super-exploitation and sweatshop labor: where workers in Nike's Salvadoran sweatshops are routinely locked in for the day, forced to work twelve hour shifts, and are intimidated by armed forces in military-style Nike uniforms; where workers in the Philippines make 10 cents a day. It has meant that in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a U.S. protectorate in the Pacific, pregnant indentured workers from China are forced to have abortions to keep their jobs.

The WTO talks about a "level playing field" for the world's countries but the so-called 'developing' or third world nations, who are economically crippled by their colonial legacy and swamped by widespread poverty, hunger and unemployment, are hardly playing the same game. Rather, they are being bullied by the U.S. and its allies. No matter what the hype--the world is divided into the rich oppressive nations and the poor oppressed nations. This division is widening every day and the WTO's role is to maintain and strengthen this relationship.

What's at Stake for the U.S. in These WTO Talks?

Global trade is responsible for America's booming economy and low unemployment according to the WTO business advocates. Global trade lowers prices and creates jobs in America. The four year history of the WTO's rulings have opened up new foreign markets to the U.S. The WTO has been an effective instrument for expanding America's passion for deregulation. As a matter of fact, the WTO has been said to be responsible for a "victory for American values." The WTO empowers governments to go inside of other countries borders-and force member countries to follow through on their commitment to allow foreigners to invest. Corporate beneficiaries are in the U.S., positioned to dominate even a level playing field. This has resulted in taking over critical sections of foreign economies by U.S.-based corporations.

The Seattle WTO talks will set the agenda for world trade into the next millennium. Rich countries are calling for new trade rounds, while poorer countries are more hesitant. It's no wonder! Recently the WTO forced El Salvador to lower their minimum wage from 60 cents an hour to 36 cents an hour. The reason cited is that El Salvador's minimum wage amounted to an unfair trade barrier for multi-national corporations, and other countries who have a lower minimum wage. According to WTO head Michael Moore: "World standards must come down to the same level before we can start building them up to a decent level globally." So the Salvadoran minimum wage is cut from 60 cents an hour to 36 cents! According to Moore, the WTO is "doing what we do for the poor".

The WTO is about speeding up the race to shred the environment, lower health and safety laws and pry open new markets for domination with less obstacles-where every dime of foreign capital is another link in the chain around the necks of the people of the world. Today, 1.3 billion people live on incomes of less than $1 a day. The gap between rich and poor has reached monstrous proportions. So the challenge for us in this richest of all countries--in the world's only superpower--is how much are we willing to sacrifice, how far are we willing to go to see a world of real equality--even if that means less for us?!

What does Globalization have to do with War & Interventions?

"The hidden hand of the market will never work without a hidden fist--McDonalds cannot flourish without McDonnell Douglas, the designer of the F-15. And the hidden fist that keeps the world safe for Silicon Valley's technologies is called the United States Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps."
--Thomas Friedman, Foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times.

Inequality gives rise to political and often times military conflict. One bi-product of increased globalization of the world is increased military intervention. $780 billion goes to military spending in the world while $6 billion is spent on basic education. Citing globalization, the U.S. imperialists now claim the right to intervene and attack with their military forces anywhere in the world. They even go so far as declaring that the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries is obsolete for them now! Clothed in business suits, globalization consumes human flesh to accumulate wealth. In military khakis, globalization sometimes gives rise to the wiping out of tens of thousands with arsenals of death.

"If we're going to have a strong economic relationship that includes our ability to sell around the world, Europe has got to be a key...that's what this Kosovo thing is all about."
--President Clinton, 3/23/99 Day before the bombing of Kosovo started.

The U.S. used the war on the Balkans as a means to extend its influence. This is one reason they started the bombing when they did. The bombing started when intensifying efforts to resolve Kosovo's crisis would have allowed a greater role for the Europeans and Russians. After the bombing in Kosovo stopped the U.S. tried to move to bring the former Soviet states of Estonia, Lithuania, Georgia, Armenia and Moldova into the WTO ahead of Russia. This move reveals the link between globalization, the WTO and war. The U.S. move is attempting to strip away these states from Russian influence. These states are rich in oil deposits that the U.S. seeks to exploit with a pipeline across the Balkans. This is an important reason for the U.S.-led war to "stabilize" the situation in Kosovo--for U.S. interests.

Does the WTO stand above individual nations?

There are those who oppose the WTO because they believe that it will have power that stands above and out of control of individual nations. Actually the WTO is where these global powers barter and fight over who gets to exploit whom. Capital will seek capital around the world but it is always based in a nation (remember, Nike needs U.S. troops to protect it interests). Also, history has shown that the U.S. will go along with organizations like the WTO or the UN as long as it stands to gain, and will ignore and defy trade agreements at will. There are no problems when communications, finance and food supplies are taken over by U.S. corporations. Matters are different, however, when trade agreements and international law interfere with the projects of the powerful. A November 1996 WTO case illustrates this. The U.S. was urged by the WTO to drop its embargo on Cuba. Washington stated that the WTO "has no competence to proceed" on an issue of American national security (as though America's existence is at stake in the strangulation of the Cuban economy). The U.S. simply told the WTO : "We do not believe anything the WTO says or does can force the U.S. to change its laws." (Then there is the U.S.'s use of UN resolutions to enforce an embargo on Iraq while repeatedly ignoring Israel's violations of UN resolutions.)

Come to Seattle - Join in a World of Opposition!

However, resistance to the WTO, IMF and World Bank is huge and worldwide--and largely under-reported, especially in the U.S. From India to Brazil, Nigeria to Spain, Canada to the Philippines, mass movements are rising against these institutions of imperialism which prioritize corporate over human interests. Show that you value humanity over corporate profits by joining us in Seattle! The real problem is the global superpowers, and the solution is doing all you can do to oppose any actions they take to further strangle the worlds people. Let's give the WTO a welcome they will never forget! The call for WTO protests has energized protesters around the world.