the truth behind the WTO by War on Want

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.

This film is from war on want. www.waronwant.org
http://uk.youtube.com/user/PovertyIsPolitical

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• WTO
• Corporations
• farmers
• hong
• kong
• seattle
• corporate
• power
• war
• on
• want

[rororotimi]

WHY ARE WE SO STUPID

[nakedmambo]

@cunucky

Why are you promoting the known myth that economics has an agreed-upon methodology and set of results? It doesn't - even a simple book like Ha-Joon Chang's 'Bad Samaritans' manages to demolish that silly idea.

You watched the video but didn't listen: 'free-trade' is not free, it's corporations making one weighted rule for themselves, and western economies, and forcing developing nations to follow a method the West itself never followed to grow rich and isn't following now.

[dictatornation]

To: every single country we've reduced to third-world-status -- I'm sorry America is waking up too late.

[distressed7]

I have one statement to the devils of the WTO. I have one statement to the Military Industrial Complex of the United States. I have one statement to the London Bankers and their precious "royals" who still call the shots. You are headed fast to the Final Judgement. Do not think for one minute your miserable and awakening armies will help you. You are no good whatsoever. I REPEAT: You are NO GOOD, WHATSOVER. YOU ARE EVIL. GET IT? GET IT? NO ONE HAS TO OBEY YOU. GET THAT TOO. You are wretched.

[TheSillones]

Lol why are we so stupid, let me think lol, my opinion is EDUCATION and i mean real EDUCATION, kids look for high grades, then they get a bachellor diploma even a master, and they think "Im so well prepared, Iam smart" and I laugh, to me EDUCATION is the ability to know the truth, the ability to think for yourself, and to avoid opinions and look at the fact and how you doit , i do it by reading, thinking , analyzing, but people prefer to go to the mall to buy the new abercr... shirt! lol

lol

[cunucky]

@spexdude15 (6) this explains alot of why wages for lower earning americans have been so stagnent for so long. (its not a conspiracy!) but soon (even today) these countries will become more developed and companies will have to compete for ever more competitive labour markets which increase wages sustanably for the long run. so if anyone can find a system that does this better please let me know :) I hope that helps a bit and sorry it was so damn long haha :P shoulda made a video

[cunucky]

@spexdude15 (5) i took out my Economics of trade book and found whats called the Factor price equilization theorem. which states Free trade between two factor proportions economies leads to equal factor (which one is labour paid by wages) prices. There is empirical evidence to show that this is the general trend. since the fall of the comand economy systems and the increase in global markets, roughly 3 billion unskilled labour flooded the market. because of free trade wages are SLOWLY equalizing

[cunucky]

@spexdude15 (4) the other company? i dont know but there sales went down. and if it got too bad they would have to shut down and fire all their workers. And since they werent "making enough money then" they certainly not making any now. most of those workers probably left there homes to go work there because that made the most money for them in their situation. but not anymore. they must choose a second best option now in a place where not much is there for them.

[cunucky]

@spexdude15 (3) the second half of it is what i like to think of people that have heart but arent using there head. just like you suggested, the consequences of people trying to stop things like free trade so that they can "protect people in the 3rd world" are actually doing more harm than good. For instance my school stopped buying clothing from cheap labour sources cuz they wanted to buy from a place that gave more money to there workers (wont be in the third world then) so what happened to

[cunucky]

@spexdude15 (2) putting tariffs in place and issueing subsidies to make it less profitable to put factories in other countries. When these tariffs are lowered (more free trade) certain industries in a particular country suffer and the GREATER benifits are disperesed among consumers and are seen in another country (potentially in the third world) who is now producing those products more efficiently. so those certain industries get REAL political sometimes not wanting to loose there jobs of course

[cunucky]

@spexdude15 (1) Thats the way I see it too (were EVERYONE is equal and should have the oportunity to better their lives and their childrens). What ive learned from the econ classes ive taken (take with a grain a salt plz :)) is that half of it is that they do indeed want it harder to open factories in third world places so that they will open up factories in america instead, and having to hire people for 30 dollars an hour (gotta have those plasma T.V's right?) they do this by......