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Fair trade is related to the War

takeaction | 28.06.2003 15:20 | Anti-militarism | Globalisation | Oxford

The policies that the Bush government promotes in the IMF, World Bank and trade organisations through the WTO are designed to foster and increase injustice, in the direct interests of US big-business.



The so- called "War on Terror" is not separate to these policies but an integral part of the strategy for a "New American Century". By supporting the US war drive our MPs are supporting the policies that undermine social justice.

One important issue is control of oil. Michael Wills claims that the
anti-war movement is naïve to raise oil as a motivation for war
(because for
example in 1991 the total foreign income for US ill companies
was "only"
$281 billion, whereas military expenditure was around $100 billion
more than
that). However, the issue is not the profits made by selling oil, but
the
ability to control how much oil is produced, and therefore the price
of oil.
The USA's major trading rivals, Europe and Japan, are more dependent
on Gulf
oil than the USA. Control of Iraq's oil gives the USA a dramatically
increased bargaining hand at G8, WTO, etc. Previously the USA has
controlled
oil prices through its alliance with the despotic Saud family in
Arabia (the
Eisenhower doctrine), but Saudi Arabia is looking less and less
stable and
they needed a new mechanism.

The second issue is the ability to force countries in the South to
accept
America's agenda of privatisation and deregulation - for example to
force
through agreements like TRIPS and GATS at the World Trade Organisation
(WTO). The war has shown how America uses both the carrot and the
stick, As
George W Bush says, "Either you are with us or you are with the
terrorists".
Turkey has been hugely punished by the withdrawal billions of dollars
of aid
for refusing to participate in the Blitzkrieg on Iraq. The Chavez
government
in Venezuela is being destabilised because it is trying to assert some
economic independence. The "War on Terror" will make it harder for
governments of poor countries to oppose US policies, for example on
privatising services and intellectual copyright.

Thirdly, the insecurity in the world economy created by the war has
led to
increased flows of foreign capital into the USA: despite low profit
rates in
that country it is seen as a safer place to invest. (See M Wolf,
Financial
Times, 19 Feb 2003) "The US current account deficit is 50% bigger
than its
defence spending... Indirectly the rest of the world pays for the
exercise
of US power". In turn the increased flow of Direct Foreign Investment
(DFI)
into the USA further strengthens the bargaining power of the USA in
the WTO,
IMF, etc. War is good for business.

It is not clear what the personal motivation was for Wills and Drown
to
support the imperial conquest of Iraq, and restoration of direct
colonial
rule. However the war is part of an American strategy to keep the
poor poor,
and make the powerful even richer. We hope that our MPs learn the
lesson of
the Iraq and Afghan wars, and that they will oppose the extension of
the
"war on terror" to Iran, Syria, or wherever Bush decides next.

takeaction

Comments

Hide the following 3 comments

Exactly!

29.06.2003 10:36

It's VITAL that we make the link between TRADE JUSTICE and the so called "WAR ON TERRORISM".

Bullying at the WTO and at the hands of the IMF and World Bank and other such economic imperialism - and I think imperialism is a fair word for it (not just US imperialism but the imperialism of the world's business elite)...

...has always been backed up by militarism of the dominant world powers.

These two aspects are very much just two sides of the same coin.

So those of us campaigning for trade justice and those of us campaigning for peace (who in many but not all cases are the same people anyway) are really all fighting for the same thing. A just peaceful sustainable world and a global economy/society that's not rigged towards the vested interests of the corporations.

It's really important that we link our struggles like this.

So if you're against the blatent unfairness of WTO rules and processes and the "War Against Terror", then come down to London's Docklands in September to demonstrate against the arms trade AND the Cancun WTO meeting simultaneously!

The DSEi (destroying societies environments and individuals) is Europe's Biggest Arms Fair. Hundreds of so called "defence" firms will be selling hugely destructive weapons to governments including many on Amnesty International's list of nations with serious human rights concerns. In the past, torture weapons were for sale. Many buying governments are extremely poor and should be spending those collosal sums of money on providing food, healthcare and education for their impoverished people.

Without the arms trade there would be no catastrophic wars impoverishing the people of Africa. Without the arms trade there would be no war against terrorism. And without McDonell Douglas there would be no McDonalds.

Converge in the London Docklands on Sept 9th or 10th (or 11th or 12th!) to say NO to the arms trade and NO to the World Trade Organisation.

Join Campaign Against the Arms Trade and Globalise Resistance and many many many others for a peaceful demo on Tuesday Sept 9th around the Excel Centre (hosting the DSEi).

also Apparently Sept 10th is "Direct Action Day" (whatever that means!) :-)

Checkout the weblink (www.dsei.org) for more info about the Disarm DSEi campaign.

This is the big protest of late summer. Didn't make it to Evian or Thesaloniki? Then come down to London. Or come down anyway.

Please network this protest.

Dave
- Homepage: http://www.dsei.org


RESERVE CURRENCY

29.06.2003 13:42

THERE IS ALSO THE DYNAMIC OF DOLLOAR HEGEMONY MOTIVATING THE NEED TO CONTROL OIL PRODUCING AREAS.

THE USA NEEDS OIL TO BE TRADED IN DOLLARS TO ENSURE IT CAN MAINTAIN ITS MASSIVE TRADE DEFICIT. EVERY COUNTRY NEEDS TO BUY OIL AND IF THEY HAVE TO BUY IT IN DOLLARS IT MEANS THEY HAVE TO SELL SHIT TO THE USA TO GET THE DOLLARS. ALL THE USA HAS TO DO IS PRINT THE MONEY AND MAINTAIN ITS CONTROL OVER OIL PRODUCING AREAS AND WATCH THE GOODS AND SERVICES ROLE IN (ISN'T CAPITALISM BEAUTIFUL?).

THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS THEY ARE GOING AFTER CHAVEZ, BECAUSE HE IS EXPLORING POSSIBILITIES IN TRADING OIL WITH OTHER LATIN ECONOMIES ON A BARTER SYSTEM NOT A MONETARY ONE.

(ALOT OF THIS SHOULD BE REFERENCED BUT I CAN'T REMEMBERWHERE I READ IT.)

RUDEBOY


That's so fucking important

29.06.2003 19:47

Brilliant! If this stuff is true then we need to hear it more often. Dollar hegemony is something we never read about in the press. Even proper dissenters rarely mention it as a cause for wars and stuff. But if it is the main reason for US militarism (rather than some vague notion of wanting to control oil) then people need to know about this and people need to shout about this. And then of course, let's do something about it, to resist.

Dave again