In today's globalized world, the United States is the economic superpower, making free-market capitalism the only game in town for poor countries that want to carve out a bigger share of world trade.
President Bush has continued the push of his predecessors for free trade agreements around the world, but discussion of the pros and cons of these agreements is not on the front burner in this year's presidential campaign.
Yet the positions of Bush and of Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts have strong implications for the developing world. Bush and Kerry agree on trade pact goals that include creating jobs in the United States by opening up new world markets for U.S. goods.
Import tariffs, which would be reduced under free trade agreements, currently make some U.S. products uncompetitive in other countries.
Most U.S. politicians see trade agreements narrowly, looking to maximize the benefits for the country and to avoid the disadvantages.
More and more people take a bottom-up approach, concerned with how such agreements affect the poor and vulnerable members in the countries involved.
What should Bush or Kerry do the next four years in this respect ?
What are your views on this ?
Originally posted by ivanhoeIf money can be globalised, surely people can too.
In today's globalized world, the United States is the economic superpower, making free-market capitalism the only game in town for poor countries that want to carve out a bigger share of world trade.
President Bush has continued the push of his predecessors for free trade agreements around the world, but discussion of the pros and cons of these agreemen ...[text shortened]... ould Bush or Kerry do the next four years in this respect ?
What are your views on this ?
Originally posted by ivanhoeThe US is not a free trading nation and neither is the European union or any other major economic power. They use their economic strength to block access to free trade for third world products - agriculture and textiles. Subsidies to inefficient first world producers impoverish the third world.
In today's globalized world, the United States is the economic superpower, making free-market capitalism the only game in town for poor countries that want to carve out a bigger share of world trade.
President Bush has continued the pu ...[text shortened]... four years in this respect ?
What are your views on this ?
President Bush is not an advocate of free trade. He makes bilateral deals, with tariffs and protection for any of his constituents who yell loud enough. That is fine - I expect him to look after his voters first. But let us not fool ourselves into thinking this is free trade.
Tale one example - cotton. Twenty five thousand US farmers are paid two thousand million dollars each year by the US taxpayer - so the US is the world's largest cotton producer. With a $80 000 subsidy per farmer, no wonder. Brazil has just won an action in the WTO that cotton prices are lowered by the subsidy and it affects Brazilian farmers. One of many World Trade Organisation judgements to go against the US.