Are you wondering why you don't know what F.T.A.A. is? Well, you may not know
yet because it's being negotiated behind closed doors. On April 20th, leaders
from 34 countries will be getting together in Quebec City to negotiate the Free
Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The plan for FTAA is to expand the North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to include all of the Americas (except
Cuba.)
On campus, there are lots of different feelings about FTAA. The
general feeling among economics majors is that it will be great for economic
development and prosperity, while student activists argue that it will be
detrimental to people's livelihoods, jobs, and the environment.
Such divisions exist globally as well as on campus. Through the FTAA, "the elected
Heads of State and Government of the Americas are committed to advance the
prosperity, democratic values and institutions, and security of our Hemisphere."
(Official FTAA Website) While world leaders support the free trade agreement,
thousands of workers, activists, and union leaders are building coalitions to
protest the agreement in Quebec City.
There are many sides to consider, but there are some basic facts as well.
Working families in America will suffer as a result to FTAA. At least 400,000
jobs have been lost in America since NAFTA. Many corporations have gone to
Mexico for cheaper labor and lax environmental regulations. Since NAFTA, more
than one million Mexicans earn less than minimum wage, and 8 million families
have slipped from the middle class into poverty. NAFTA threatens labor unions
and safety standards as well.
The people in Mexico however, are choosing to work at these corporations. They may
be in such extreme poverty that even less than minimum wages are helpful. So one
could argue that while they may be suffering from low wages, they are better than
nothing. Arguments also state that "you've got to start somewhere" and by having
even a low paying job, the people are working their way up the economic ladder.
Contrary arguments state that if standards were equal everywhere, then
corporations would not be able to pick up and move to a country to take advantage
of deregulation.
In addition to jobs, under FTAA, companies with a patent in one
country will have exclusive patenting rights throughout the western hemisphere.
An important example of this is with pharmaceuticals. Countries are stopped from
producing generic less expensive drugs that save peoples lives. Brazil currently
manufactures generic drugs for people globally who cannot afford medicine from
the United States, and this market will be threatened by FTAA. This is
especially dangerous with the AIDS epidemic expanding.
FTAA will encourage
privatization. This is another loaded issue. When privatization occurs, public
services such as education, health care, and energy and water utilities become
privately owned. This means if one cannot afford education, medicine, water, and
electricity, they cannot have it. However, if the government is not taking care
of the service or not doing a sufficient job, privatization may be seen as a good
solution. Privatization is one way of distributing a good that may be scarce.
Another result of FTAA may be an increase in genetically altered food. Supporters
claim that genetically altered food will help reduce poverty, since the crops
will be able to grow more efficiently and insects will die from the genes that
are put into the crop. This means that pesticides will be reduced. Those who
oppose genetically altered food are worried that the technologies have not been
tested adequately, farmers will become dependent on corporations, and the food
will not be labeled, decreasing the individuals right to know what they are
consuming.
This is just a brief overview of some of the issues that come along with the Free Trade Area of the Americas. The bottom line is that it has been negotiated in secret and that everyone's lives will be affected by it. Free trade barriers include environmental regulations, workers safety rights, minimum wage, and unions. When these are dropped, it is up to the corporations to decide how to run things. The rights of the corporations begin to trump the rights of individuals. Whether free trade benefits everyone by getting the economy stirred up or it simply increases the gap between rich and poor, it is something that we should have the right to make decisions about. SAGE Coalition (Student Activists for Global Equality) is organizing informational meetings, speakers, and teach-ins regarding FTAA. Some students will be traveling to Quebec City on April 20th to protest, and all are welcome to join. For more information, come to events sponsored by SAGE, talk to your classes, and ask your parents what they think. There is a lot more to learn. For even more information about FTAA, check out their official site at: [http://www.ftaa-alca.org]. You can also check out [www.globalexchange.org].
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This page was designed by Andrew Van Alstyne. Please direct all questions/comments to him.