Compassionate Slavery. A representative of the World Trade Organization proposes foreign corporate "stewardship" of workers in Africa from the moment they are hired until they die, describing it as "the best available solution to African poverty, and the inevitable result of free-market theory".
posted by Pastabagel on Nov 14, 2006 - 24 comments

"A WTO conference has begun in Beijing." No, not that WTO. This WTO. Love that logo...
posted by gimonca on Nov 19, 2004 - 9 comments

World Trade Organisation's Agreement on Government Procurement. "International law? I better call my lawyer. I don't know what you're talking about, about international law," the president said.
posted by the fire you left me on Dec 11, 2003 - 16 comments

In events not suprising to anyone, the WTO's "development round" ends without agreement. The IHT published an interesting dissent from the leftist hope of poor nations climbing out of poverty by using sustainable agriculture as unrealistic. Likely industrial ag businesses would eventually dominate, just as they did in the developed world.
posted by raaka on Sep 14, 2003 - 6 comments

At the WTO: At last, the USA backs away from the policy of putting intellectual property above innocent lives. Good news for everyone who cares about mankind.
posted by Pretty_Generic on Aug 30, 2003 - 10 comments

George Monbiot, environmentalist and anti-globalisationist has seen the light - he no longer wishes to demolish the WTO. And what's more, it was US President, George W. Bush, who made him see the error of his ways.
posted by Blue Stone on Jun 24, 2003 - 3 comments

I was wrong. Free market trade policies hurt the poor. “As leader of the delegation from the United Kingdom [to Seattle in 1999], I was convinced that the expansion of world trade had the potential to bring major benefits to developing countries and would be one of the key means by which world poverty would be tackled... I now believe that this approach is wrong and misguided.”
posted by raaka on May 19, 2003 - 37 comments

The World Trade Organization ruled today that the steel tariffs imposed by President Bush last year were illegal. Today's ruling, which was not a surprise, was the second major loss for the United States at the W.T.O. in the last year. The trade panel awarded Europe the right to impose $4 billion worth of trade sanctions against the United States for giving tax breaks to American exporters through foreign sales corporations. Well, at least we are winnig the war...
posted by bureaustyle on Mar 26, 2003 - 22 comments

WTO reveals itself as the anti free-market organization it is: disbands, and forms the new "Trade Regulation Organization" -- Anti-WTO anti-capitalist activists bewildered.
posted by dagny on May 27, 2002 - 22 comments

Combatting White Supremacy in the Anti-globalization Movement
The anti-globalization movement has been vibrant in communities and organizations of color in the US and around the world for hundreds of years, yet white supremacy was rampant in the movement against the WTO ministerial meetings in Seattle. In other words, racism is alive and well in social justice organizing, and the WTO was no exception.

posted by djacobs on Mar 20, 2002 - 8 comments

So what happened? News from New York. A banner was unfurled (somewhere - nobody really saw it). A Starbucks had an incomprehensible something spray painted on a window. A few people protested cheap kakhi's at the Gap (I passed this one on the way to a meeting and, ironically, some appeared to be wearing Gap clothes). The Falun Gong exercised outside, but on the whole this week has turned into a non-protest ... with the 10,000 that organizers expected turning into about 500. Has the anti-globalization movement had the life drained from it by Sept. 11? Is this just a temporary lull?
posted by MidasMulligan on Feb 2, 2002 - 47 comments

Last week, the WTO ruled against a corporate welfare program for US exporters (again). This week, a Canadian hemp company claims the US owes them US$20m under NAFTA for harrassment and impinging on future returns.
posted by raaka on Jan 23, 2002 - 10 comments

They've finally reached an agreement that will allow China to become members of the World Trade Organization. I'm not sure I buy the idea that allowing them in will help "bring domestic political liberalization". Although this probably would have made big news a week ago, it was buried in the Reuters Business News today.
posted by elfgirl on Sep 15, 2001 - 3 comments

US drops WTO lawsuit against Brazil for producing generic anti-AIDS drugs while UN nations' contributions to African AIDS relief falls short of Annan's proposed 10 billion war chest.
posted by skallas on Jun 26, 2001 - 2 comments

Is violence necessary to fight The Man? Hey, ya can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs. This essay makes some compelling points on the violence in Seattle and at the FTAA protests.
posted by snakey on Apr 30, 2001 - 21 comments

Anti-globalisation protesters "make me want to vomit" says Michael Moore, head of the World Trade Organisation. Which is funny, since *he* makes *me* want to vomit, too. "Because the poorest people on our planet, they are the ones that need us the most", says Mr. Moore. Oh, the sincerity in his words...
posted by tobyslater on Feb 6, 2001 - 42 comments

Found in today's Times: It takes some time to wind up, but this could be the finest and most thorough Internet hoax ever, at least that I am aware of.
posted by luke on Jan 7, 2001 - 12 comments

One Year After Seattle -- "A year has passed since the World Trade Organization's "Millennium Round" collapsed under clouds of tear gas in Seattle," writes Mark Weisbrot, in this useful overview of what was -- and is -- at stake. "The debate over globalization has been altered, perhaps permanently, to include some of the concerns of civil society: poverty and inequality, economic instability, and the environmental costs of globalization...."
posted by johnb on Nov 30, 2000 - 30 comments