| paramendra |
Posted
on 13-Aug-02 10:10 PM
The Failure of the Global South in the Recent Global Trade Talks
by Paramendra Bhagat
April 28, 2000.
http://www.geocities.com/bhagat266/a/globalsouthglobaltrade.html
In the recent global trade talks, the Global South has failed to: (1) counter the bullying tactics of corporate interests exercised either directly or through their respective governments, (2) counter the overt and covert protectionism as practiced by the rich countries and push for "free trade" in agriculture and textiles and have the rich countries stop subsidizing their farmers and sheltered industries where the poor countries might have comparative advantages, (3) forge alliances with the non-corporate interests in the west to place emphasis on investments in human capital - as in investments in lifelong education and health care for all - as a necessary accompaniment to free trade in both the rich and the poor countries without letting the same groups get away with their unrealistic assumptions about the conditions in the South, (4) own up to the elitism in the poor countries whereby the select few prosper at the expense of the vast majority, and define labor rights, abolition of child labor, and environmental protection as goals to be strived for out of self-interest rather than as pandering to the west, and (5) forge alliances within itself to recognize shared interests and better articulate and bargain for the same during the ongoing trade talks.
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