Of course we need international trade negotiations and agreements. But, they must be arrived at via inclusive, democratic, open, and transparent processes. They must be designed to reinforce the security and dignity of the world’s peoples and environmental sustainability.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement was settled last week. Next up: The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which will create the largest "free trade" zone in the world. Organizers say 250,000 people took part in an anti-TTIP protest in Berlin on Saturday.
Economist Jared Bernstein recently sat down with Capital & Main to offer his perspective on a wide range of political and income-inequality topics. Formerly a top advisor to Vice President Joe Biden and, currently, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Bernstein spoke to us again, following the U.S. Senate vote to fast-track the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Klaus Ernst, former co-chair of Germany's Left Party (Die Linke) and uion leader explains his party's opposition to TIPP and its position on the minimum wage and recent strike struggles.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s office released a report Monday accusing presidential administrations, including Obama’s, of not enforcing labor protections in trade deals.
If not, we must stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership before it does more damage to our country.
TPP is a corporate power grab clearly worthy of Seattle-caliber mobilization. But the fight against this reprehensible deal requires different types of tactics. And the place to start is by derailing “Fast Track,” the mechanism that would allow TPP approval to rush through the U.S. Congress with little debate and no amendments.
TTIP does away with “barriers” that impede the intercontinental flow of goods. This will make it easier for companies to base their production facilities on “cost” grounds, especially social ones. Workers’ entitlement to be involved will still stop at the border. TTIP will therefore mean a weakening of workers’ rights, despite guarantees under the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights.
Agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership distribute wealth upward. Real 'free trade' can lower medical costs for everyone.
Strikes, demonstrations and protests are at a record pace in Colombia this year as workers seek a bigger share of wealth generated by the country’s expanding economy. After 50 years of guerrilla warfare, the government’s success in weakening illegal armed groups has drawn investment and rewarded businessmen, while the gap between rich and poor remains considerable, according to the World Bank’s Gini index of income distribution.
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