Comments on: The Doha Round is Dead, Long Live Free Trade http://www.planetd.org/2008/07/30/the-doha-round-is-dead-long-live-free-trade/ Critiquing the Politics, Policy & Practice of Development Mon, 26 Jul 2010 01:24:49 +0200 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Mike Brady http://www.planetd.org/2008/07/30/the-doha-round-is-dead-long-live-free-trade/comment-page-1/#comment-112648 Mike Brady Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:04:55 +0000 http://www.planetd.org/?p=401#comment-112648 Complex though these negotiations may have been, they were flawed because the obligations of governments to deliver and protect the right to food was ignored. For all the talk of open markets cutting the cost of food, case studies have shown terrible suffering resulting - Haiti being a recently cited example. In addition, it is shocking that the whole issue of international trade - the movement of goods over sometimes huge distances - should take place without consideration of a climate-change framework and shows the danger of compartalised thinking in global policy making. The Simultaneous Policy campaign is aiming to overcome these shortcomings (and others) by breaking free of corporate lobbyists protecting vested interests and by developing coherent, cross-cutting policies in a transparent and democratic way. See: http://globaljusticeideas.blogspot.com/2008/07/wto-joined-up-thinking.html Complex though these negotiations may have been, they were flawed because the obligations of governments to deliver and protect the right to food was ignored. For all the talk of open markets cutting the cost of food, case studies have shown terrible suffering resulting – Haiti being a recently cited example. In addition, it is shocking that the whole issue of international trade – the movement of goods over sometimes huge distances – should take place without consideration of a climate-change framework and shows the danger of compartalised thinking in global policy making. The Simultaneous Policy campaign is aiming to overcome these shortcomings (and others) by breaking free of corporate lobbyists protecting vested interests and by developing coherent, cross-cutting policies in a transparent and democratic way. See:
http://globaljusticeideas.blogspot.com/2008/07/wto-joined-up-thinking.html

]]> By: Sean http://www.planetd.org/2008/07/30/the-doha-round-is-dead-long-live-free-trade/comment-page-1/#comment-112647 Sean Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:42:58 +0000 http://www.planetd.org/?p=401#comment-112647 "livelihood security" as stated by the Indian minister, is what at stake for India and China and other developing nations here. And US and EU know clearly about it and specifically target it in order to strike it down. Or why don't US and EU just accept it? Are they not bull headed? Food is another weapon of US and EU in addition to oil. Once US/EU can strike down this particular defense, they can flood the developing nations with their hugely subsidized cheap farm products and totally seize the control of the developing nations livelihood. And after that they can pretty much make up any prices they name. “livelihood security” as stated by the Indian minister, is what at stake for India and China and other developing nations here. And US and EU know clearly about it and specifically target it in order to strike it down. Or why don’t US and EU just accept it? Are they not bull headed?

Food is another weapon of US and EU in addition to oil. Once US/EU can strike down this particular defense, they can flood the developing nations with their hugely subsidized cheap farm products and totally seize the control of the developing nations livelihood. And after that they can pretty much make up any prices they name.

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