The World Trade Organisation's Doha round of trade talks is coming to a head and the future of the world's poor hangs in the balance. But what is the WTO, and how did it get to be so powerful? War on Want's short film exposes the truth behind the WTO and its damaging 'free trade' policies
This film was made possible through funding from the Cooperative Bank's Customers Who Care scheme. Thanks also to the following for providing images, music and other input: Charles Battrick, Ben Nugent, Chris Franck, Suicide Speedboats and the Norwegian Development Fund
WARONWANT
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ReplyDeleteWARNING: These people are not to be trusted. They are funded by states, and the super-state called the EU, and are patently protectionist in their stance.
ReplyDeleteIt is no secret that Europe in particular, with its big welfare-state to fund, and intolerable militant unionism (e.g. the French) is finding it very difficult to compete with emerging markets, and the likes of China and India. Both China and India are meeting the global demand economy full-on and they (as yet) have huge welfare programs to fund. Neither are they under constant threat from neurotic and militant unions run by power-tripped psychos, and a class of apparatchiks which make the Kremlin look small-time.
Anything funded by the state (ALL states are funded by legal theft, aka TAX) is A LIE, either in part or in total. These are the same people who go to WAR on flimsy hearsay like "Weapons of Mass Destruction" or "Osama's hiding in Afghanistan". Big_ fucking_LIARS!
All this talk about "social injustice" "international trade rules" etc. are just strawmen and red herrings, which if follwed to their illogical end would mean the END of economic growth in Asia and other developing countries, like Africa who so desperately need to tap into global capitalism to survive, and to pay-off their mountain of debt, caused by...you guessed it: lying, cheating, murdering states run by brutal regimes. Many of these tyrants are puppets (or clients in CIA parlance) of US Foreign Policy.
The only non govt funder of War On Want is comic relief, headed by Peter Bennet-Jones who gave the world Mr Bean, The Thi Blue Line (among others). I'm saddened to see such a talented person become a partner in state-funded harrasment of the people in the 3rd world, and potentially of (relatively) free market economies like Singapore and Hong Kong.
The WTO movie does make some valid points about the unholy nexus between BIG business and the state. However, there are flaws in the economic arguments. The underlying premise that it would take a state to make laws to protect the people from states who flaunt "human rights" is akin to a declaration of war.
Trade wars are started by, and only by states (in cahoots with their big business pals).
To suggest that more statism is required (like protectionist tariffs) to combat statism is complete and utter nonsense.
The movie is technically well made. However it is wise to stay vigilant and watch out for the implicit and explicit meaning of the content. Remember, the money to fund this organisation and the movie came from legal criminals.
Your prosperous Asian-tiger lifestyle may be in jepordy. (no, I'm not being alarmist).
And shit, there is already enough criminal activity in Asia — with all these statists, freedom usurpers and party pooping wowsers — damn it, I for one don't need another organised criminal gang (bunch of nation states) to fuck with and chip away the (little) freedom I have left!
-Old Whig-