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ReplyDeleteThe WTO.......
By - Mrs. Shepherd
Opinionated People Blog Post
ReplyDeleteThe World Trade Organization is an organization that regulates trade and fair trade practices between member nations. That can be hard to digest. Basically, the WTO is the mommy that teaches her kids to share nicely, and when there are problems, she has to resolve them. The WTO is the evolution of GATT (The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) the WTO has a goal, to “open trade for the benefit of all”. To unde4rstand the WTO you have to understand Trade Liberalization, trade liberalization is the removal or reduction of restrictions or barriers on the free exchange of goods between nations. This includes the removal or reduction of both tariff (duties and surcharges) and non-tariff obstacles (like licensing rules, quotas and other requirements). The easing or eradication of these restrictions is often referred to as promoting "free trade."*
I feel that the WTO is a bad thing right now. The WTO tends to help the wealthy, first-world countries get the upper hand over the poor, third-world countries. The WTO’s dispute resolution often ends with the wealthier country on top. For example, in the Gerber vs. Guatamala case, Guatamala banned Gerber products because they advertised a healthy looking baby, which leads people to believe that feeding their children this will make them healthy. The WTO came in after Gerber claimed this violated the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights. Of course, even though it was false advertising, the richer of the two cases won. Proving that the WTO doesn’t help developing or third-world countries.
The WTO kills people. The WTO prefers pharmaceutical companies selling their products at a ridiculous price, rather than allowing governments to produce their own medicine and sell it for cheaper to save people’s lives. A good example of this is the U.S pharmaceutical company vs. AIDS infected Thailand and South Africa. HIV is a huge problem in Thailand and South Africa, and people can’t get the drugs they need to, because they can’t afford the prices that the U.S pharmaceutical companies use. So, to keep people alive, Thailand and South Africa began producing their own drugs, selling them at a much more affordable price, saving people’s lives. The U.S pharmaceutical companies complained to the WTO that this was an infringement on the TRIPS. So, the WTO took the U.S side, and people couldn’t afford the drugs they needed again, and the problem wasn’t really resolved.
Now, people that think the WTO is a good thing might have this argument, thety might say. “Well, freer trade cuts the cost of living.” They are saying, that if there is free trade, then exporting can be cheaper, and people can buy goods for cheaper than a world without free trade. Again I can bring up the pharmaceutical companies, and the WTO blatantly making people pay outrageous prices to live. The WTO can claim that they help people live better, and that’s true, for rich countries. They do not help third-world, developing countries.
The argument might include that free trade “gives consumers more choice, and a broader range of qualities to choose from.” This is true. The country does have a wider range, but this is a useless argument, because if a consumer is faced with paying more for an imported good, or buying a cheaper, homegrown product, they will more than likely take the latter. The fact that the WTO brings this up is because they couldn’t think of any other positives that they cause.
In conclusion, the WTO is a bad organization and does not achieve it’s goal in any way, they help rich countries, but not everyone.
*http://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/trade-liberalization.asp#ixzz1u8dSPuS7
Aaron
Wow....amazing! That's all I wanted to say. I'll post mine shortly! :D
DeleteRosanne
I second Rosanne's comment. Well done Aaron! I think Aaron should blog - there is a real talent here!
ReplyDeleteHere is mine! I am finally done! ARGH! My thing is not copy and pasting.....I'll just put the link to my blog. I'll try again tomorrow.
ReplyDeletehttp://chocochan-chibiko.blogspot.ca/2012/05/my-social-assignment.html
Rosanne
Is this just a way to get more readers Rosanne? I like your style:)
DeleteMy post was too long!!
DeleteTESTING
ReplyDeleteThe World Trade Organization, and their 153 member countries clearly have a negative affect on our world and need to reconsider the value of their main goal, trade liberalization.
ReplyDeleteThe WTO is destroying our environment, and we cannot let this go any further! They are currently negotiating an agreement what would eliminate tariffs on wood products. Now what’s so bad about that you might ask? Well doing so would increase the demand for timber, therefore escalating deforestation enormously, which is kind of our main source of oxygen. Some believe that the WTO opens up free trade and by doing so this benefits the consumers with “more choice.” If every consumer out there knew exactly what the WTO is doing to our environment, I’m sure the consumers wouldn’t be too happy. The WTO should start considering what consumer’s value more, free trade, or the potential future of our earth.
The WTO undermines local development and penalizes poor countries. Under the WTO rules, developing countries are prohibited from following the same policies that developed countries pursue. That sounds fair right? Lets let the countries that need help developing continue to struggle by not giving them the same opportunities as developed countries get. Also the WTO only serves the interests of transnational corporations. The corporations make the rules and have inside access on negotiation. The citizen’s input is constantly ignored and requests for information are denied and proceedings are held in secret. Honestly to me it seems that the WTO only cares about the big major players, and they just try to ignore everybody and everything else as if it’s not their problem and they don’t have to deal with it. Real classy.
Some say the WTO stimulates economic growth by removing tariffs and having free trade, when in reality the WTO tramples over labor and human rights, which by now shouldn’t be a surprise, to you reading this. The WTO refuse to address the impacts of free trade on labor rights. And as if that isn’t enough, potential solutions to labor and human rights abuses are blocked by the WTO.
The US adoption of the WTO was very undemocratic. In December 1st 1994 the WTO was established out of the General Agreement in Tariffs and Trade, also known as G.A.T.T. This was limited to public debate by not allowing amendments. Had the agreement been voted on, requiring a two-thirds majority, it would have been defeated. So if the WTO didn’t have to do every damn thing so undemocratically, including their establishment, there is a good chance there wouldn’t have to be a WTO as we know it today!
Nicholas
I see sports commentary in the future for you Nick! Well done! I love the underlying sarcasm - especially noted with the "real classy" comment. Classic Nick. Also, nice balance of the school appropriate profanity - you managed to use it to enhance your point!
DeletePART I - Meg
ReplyDeleteWhy to Dispute the WTO!
The World Trade Organization is not aiding the countries with a membership enough for it to be a positive impact on the world today. In my opinion the WTO is walking all over human and labor rights. The WTO has refused to address the impacts of free trade on labor rights, despite the fact that countries that actively enforce labor rights are disadvantaged by countries that violate international labor conventions. Many developing countries, such as Mexico, contend that labor standards constitute a “barrier to free trade” for countries whose competitive advantage in the global economy is cheap labor. In this situation the human and labor rights are being completely ignored and instead of doing something about it the people of underdeveloped countries are being used for cheap labor. Free trade is a policy by which a government does not discriminate against imports or interfere with exports by applying tariffs or subsidies. Tariffs are official lists that show customs imposed by the government on imports and exports. A Subsidy is a direct aid that pertains to money and is furnished by a government to a charity organization. Trade Liberalization is the reduction of restrictions or barriers on the free exchange of goods between nations. It is my belief that the environment is being ruined by the World Trade Organization. The WTO is currently negotiating an agreement that would eliminate tariffs on wood products, which would increase the demand for timber and escalate deforestation. Deforestation is a major issue on this planet and one that is aiding global warming at that. The World Trade Organization are hurting our environment instead of helping it for their own personal benefit and since we all have to live on this planet I believe that it is the responsibility of all to take care of it. I think that the WTO is penalizing numerous underdeveloped countries. Under the WTO rules, developing countries are prohibited from following the same policies that developed countries pursued, such as protecting nascent, domestic industries until they can be internationally competitive. Developing countries should not be punished because they are not developed yet it like picking on the kid in school that has Dyslexia. Instead of penalizing them like the WTO are doing I believe that they should be aided in becoming a developed country.
PART II - Meg
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the acceptance of the World Trade Organization into the US was very undemocratic. The WTO was established out of the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) negotiations. The approval of the WTO required entire sections of US laws to be rewritten to conform with the WTO rules, similar to the way that treaties often redefine how the US will interact with other states. The WTO got into the US by bending the laws and not having a vote whether or not there should be a World Trade Organization. This leads me to believe that there was a high probability that the WTO would not have been voted in and someone sneaked it into the system. However, this is only my analysis of the situation. I believe that the World Trade Organization is killing people. The WTO’s fierce defense of intellectual property rights-patents, copyrights and trademarks-comes at the expense of health and human lives. The US government on behalf of the US drug companies, is trying to block developing countries’ access to less expensive, generic, life-saving drugs. By blocking developing countries’ access to life-saving drugs they are essentially killing all the people that those drugs could have possibly saved which I see as the same thing as killing the people themselves. The main goal of the World Trade Organization is to ensure that trade flows smoothly. However, seeing as how they are refusing to recognize and address the impacts of free trade on labor rights I don’t see how someone could ensure a smooth trade flow while disregarding that. It has been said by supporters of the WTO that rules make life easier for all. This is obviously not true seeing as earlier I stated that the WTO was killing people so clearly life is not easy for all seeing as some are dying because of it.
BY: Meg
I'm seeing a law degree in your future. Wowzer Meg! Note to everyone: if you ever get into legal trouble, call Meg. I think she could argue her way out of anything.
DeleteIt all started with an international treaty that was made to promote trade and remove tariffs – a tax on imported goods and services. This oh so helpful treaty was entitled GATT. GATT eventually turned into the World Trade Organization or the WTO for short. It’s not just your average treaty, oh no; it’s an international agency that encourages trade and resolves disputes when they arise. The supposed goal of the WTO is to increase international trade by lowering and removing trade barriers and making trade “more predictable”. People tend to believe the WTO increases equality and because everyone is equal due to the fine work of the WTO we should all be holding hands and singing together just like in the Grinch. But no. The fact is from 1960-1988 inequality worsened both internationally and within countries. Reports even showed that the richest 20% of the world’s population consumes 86% of the world’s resources while the poorest 80% consume only a mere 14%. So much for equality. The WTO does not settle disputes fairly. When there is a dispute to settle one side ends up losing and the WTO courts are very much biased. In one case, Mexico filed against the US because the US tuna nets kill hundreds of thousands of dolphins a year. Now dolphins are good and cute but food such as tuna is essential for life. In the end of this case the US were forced to discontinue the use of their tuna nets. One of the judges working on this case was part of the Mexican government and had previously lobbied for a Mexican corporation, what a happy coincidence! The WTO may attempt to boost international trade but they sure do succeed at destroying our environment. In 1993 the WTO ruled the production of cleaner gasoline as illegal. Alright, I am perfectly fine breathing in more intoxicating gas. The WTO claims their system shields governments from narrow interests but who are they kidding? They claim to cover a wide range of sectors and use subsidy when in fact they penalize poor countries. Under the WTO rules developing countries are prohibited from following the same policies that developed countries pursue. The WTO makes the world more difficult and complicated than it needs to be. In this day and age the world could surely survive without the WTO’s interference.
ReplyDeleteBy - Kennedy
This made me laugh out loud! Great lines Kennedy: "Now dolphins are good and cute" and "Alright, I am perfectly fine breathing in more intoxicating gas" - these are great things to know! Excellent incorporation of your personality into your writing! This is an essential skills of all the great opinionated writers! Move over Rick Mercer... Kennedy Fisher has an opinion!
DeletePART I - Andrew
ReplyDeleteWorld Trade Organization
Positive
The System helps keep the peace
• Peace is partly an outcome of two of the most fundamental principles of the trading system: helping trade to flow smoothly and providing countries with a constructive and fair outlet for dealing with disputes over trade issues. It is also an outcome of the international confidence and cooperation that the system creates and reinforces.
• History is littered with examples of trade disputes turning into war. One of the most vivid is the trade war of the 1930’s when countries competed to raise trade barriers in order to protect domestic producers and retaliate against each other’s barriers.
• This worsened the Great Depression and eventually played a part in the outbreak of World War 2
The system based on rules rather than power makes life easier for all.
• Decisions in the WTO are made by consensus. The WTO agreements were negotiated by all members were approved by consensus and were ratified in all members’ parliaments.
• This makes life easier for all, in several different ways. Smaller countries can enjoy some increased bargaining power. Without a multilateral regime such as the WTO’s system, the more powerful countries would be freer to impose their will unilaterally on their smaller trading partners.
• There are matching benefits for larger countries. The major economic powers can use the single forum of the WTO to negotiate with all or most of their trading partners at the same time.
Freer trade cuts the cost of living.
• We are consumers. The prices we pay for our food and clothing, our necessities and luxuries, and everything else in between, are affected by trade policies.
• Protectionism is expensive it raises prices. The WTO’s global system lower trade barriers through negotiation and applies the principle of non-discrimination. The result is reduced costs of production because imports used in production are cheaper and reduced prices of finished goods and services, and ultimately a lower cost of living.
• According to one calculation, consumer and governments in rich countries pay $50 billion per year supporting agriculture, enough to fly their 41 million dairy cows first class around the world one and a half times.
Trade stimulates economic growth, and that can be good news for employment.
• Trade clearly has the potential to create jobs; in practice there is often factual evidence that lower trade barriers have been good for employment. But the picture is complicated by a number of factors.
• There is strong evidence that trade boosts economic growth, and that economic growth means more jobs. It is also true that some jobs are lost even when trade is expanding.
• A worker takes to find a new job can be much longer in one country than for a similar worker in another country experiencing similar conditions.
It gives consumers more choice, and a broader range of qualities to choose from
• The wider choice isn’t simply a question of consumers buying foreign finished products. Imports are used as materials, components and equipment for local production.
• Sometimes, the success of an imported product of service on the domestic market can also encourage new local producers to compete, increasing the choice of brands available to consumers as well as increasing the range of goods and services produced locally.
PART II - Andrew
ReplyDeleteNegatives
The WTO is killing people.
• The WTO’s fierce defense of intellectual property rights-patents copyrights and trademarks- comes at the expense of health and human lives. The organization’s support for pharmaceutical companies against governments seeking to protect their people’s health has had serious implications for places like sub- Saharan Africa, where 80 percent of the world’s new AIDS cases are found.
The US adoption of the WTO was undemocratic.
• The WTO was established out of the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. On December 1, 1994, Congress approved GATT under Fast Track during a lame duck session of Congress. Fast Track limits public debate by not allowing amendments.
Verdict:
The WTO has had only had admirable ambitions throughout their company timeline. Whoever thought that the WTO was a terrible organization has no right to talk them down because a couple of misfortunes, because the main idea of the WTO was that their goal was for the good no matter how much blunder they made. Their purpose is to open up free trade for all countries, keep the peace, increase employment, use rules instead of power, and give the consumers more variety of goods to pick from.
The WTO lowers trade barriers and applies the principle of non- discrimination by opening up free trade for countries around the world. This option gives consumers a much lower price of goods and helps out the people. Why in the world would we say that the WTO is a negative part of the economy if it is helping the people? The result of this is cheaper cost of production, lower prices of finished goods and services, and ultimately a lower cost of living for the citizens of the world.
The WTO reduces some inequalities, giving smaller countries more rights and helping them to be just as equal as the larger countries. There was an enormous animosity in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trades about the lack of support for the third world countries. The WTO solved the problems in having more rights for the smaller countries and made it a better organization, however some people are still arguing about how the WTO is a negative organization. The WTO is changing towards a better future and fixing the biggest problem for the GATT, which was that smaller countries weren’t receiving as fair rights as the bigger countries, however, the WTO fixed these problems by giving the smaller countries increased bargaining power, and reduced inequalities.
PART III - Andrew
ReplyDeleteThe WTO can also be good news for employment, because trade has the potential to create jobs. This also benefits the consumers greatly and helps out people who need jobs instead of starting another war! These organizations were created to help the world without having to start another war for employment. This organization might have also prevented another Great Depression and in practice there is often factual evidence that lower trade barriers have shown better employment rates. Freer trade has been healthy for employment, the EU Commission calculates that the creation of its Single Market means that there are somewhere between 300,000-900,000 more jobs than there would be without the Single Market.
The WTO also helps to keep the peace; this might sound a little farfetched however peace is composed on the factor of trade. When there is a steady flow of trade the governments do not decide to have a war, because they don’t want to change how things are. Then when the WTO came in place trade became much smoother and helped trade to flow and providing countries with a constructive and fair outlet for dealing with disputes over trade issues. It is also an outcome of the international confidence and cooperation that the system creates and reinforces. These factors prevented the world from starting another World War and prevent a Great Depression.
Let’s think of a moment in our lives when we all wanted something from another country. For instance the Kindle Fire is only sold in America and a Canadian citizen as myself wanted to buy it. What would I have to do without leaving my country? Well the WTO was a very clever organization that decided to erase barriers to trade therefore increase imports coming in from other countries. This expands the range of final products and services that are made by domestic producers, and it increases the range of technologies they can use.
Some of the articles seem to mention how the WTO is killing people or how the WTO's adoption was undemocratic. The WTO however, is not killing people, there was a story in the past about the people of Sudan. The people of Sudan had wanted to buy pharmaceutical goods for AIDS, however the WTO raised the prices of these material and made them very expensive to buy. This was apparently the reason why the people thought the WTO was killing innocent people. However it is not the WTO's fault that the people of Sudan are choosing to use a certain brand of pharmaceutical goods. The WTO was also brought in from GATT and the GATT was adopted from the Americans democratically, yet the people disagree that WTO was brought into the world undemocratically. The WTO was built from GATT a democratic organization that was brought into the world by votes, making the WTO a democratic organization. The people can complain about the WTO all day; however it is a fair and just organization that only works to help the trade and the economy of the world.
By - Andrew
Andrew you have gone above and beyond to find the support to prove your point! Impressive. I suppose now I know you like to write long essays. I too enjoy writing long essays. I will be sure to assign another long writing piece just for you before the end of the course! Well done!
ReplyDeleteThe WTO, also known as World Trade Organization is like what it’s named for, it’s an organization that promotes world trade. According to its website its main goal is to eliminate trade barriers and promote free trade- AKA trade liberalization. An increase of trade means:
ReplyDeleteIncrease in
-productivity and supply of goods
-costumer welfare
-choices/varieties of good
-competition among businesses
-standard of living
Decrease in
-price/cost
What the WTO is promoting is actually benefiting the world. The WTO website states that “The World Trade Organization deals with the global rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that the trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible. “Then why are people so negative towards it? In order to answer this question, the history WTO and its purpose has to be properly reviewed.
The WTO evolved from GATT, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. It’s basically an international treaty (1948-94) to promote trade and economic development by reducing tariffs and other restrictions under ITO- the International Trade Organization. WTO was actually created in 1995 to monitor GATT’s provisions. However it started to work independently, creating its own rules and regulations of trading and finding more effective ways to resolve disputes. Now, its membership has been expended to 154 countries and oversees over 95% of global trading.Think of the short discussion we has in class today! Think of your sunday morning-or a typical morning- and think of all the products you've used. Now, what if Canada isolated itself from all the other countries to make profit off of only Canadian goods and to boost its economy? The government would provide subsidies (the money granted by the government to help private buisnesses) to Canadian corperations but that won't help very much as it temporary aids the corperations.
You would still have to wake up from the floor, put on a beaver fur t-shirt, drink maple syrup and ride on polar bears. The presense of WTO and its trading agreements allow us to have the essential products of living for low cost by brining variety goods from all over the world.
Trade liberalization (the process of removing barriars such as tariffs to make tradeing free) = increase in trade = increased productivity/supply = increased competition = decrease in cost of the productivity/supply = variety/choices =increased cosumerism = higher living standards
Not only that, the reason why GATT/WTO was created was to sustain world peace. You might think, "how does trading relate to world peace?". Realte back to the history of GATT, look at the year when it was created. It was created rignt after the World War II! Right before the WWII, "trade wars" occured stontanegously in the world where no one won and everyone lost. WWII occured because of the dramatic downfall in the economy. See some connection here? Now, WTO is promoting peace by handling disputes over trade issues with consensus-the general agreement that is negotiated by all members and prevents another WW by keeping the ecomony flowing and we haven't had any more WWs since. Then why are many people so negative towards WTO when it's benefiting the world? Well, some think that small countries are powerless in the WTO whe the WTO follows the principle of non-discrimination. So its agreement made by consensus applies equally to both rich and strong countries. In the booklet provided by the WTO, it underlines the fact that "rich and poor countries alike have an equal right to challenge each other in the WTO's dispute settlement procedures. Bascially, there are no "taking sides". In fact, because the small countries are positioned equally with the bigger countries they can enjoy the increased in bargaining power, that way, WTO is also promoting fair trade. Some also think that WTO is undemocratic. However that is not true. WTO is acutally more democratic because the decisions are made by consensus which means that the agreement is constantly changed until EVERYONE(EVERY COUNTRY) says "alright, let's go with that" whereas in USA for instance, the decisions are made by winning majority of the votes. In WTO, everyone has voices despite of the size of the country. Which also relates to the misunderstanding that the small countries are powerless. You have to understand that the WTO is World Trade Organization not here to inspect health concerns or issues. For example, in the case study we had a debate on talks about how WTO is tramping the health of people and their voice. By erasing the barrier set by the European Union, the WTO widens the choices consumers could pick from. But still, it seems like the WTO is only focused on trading, right? That it actually not true. Although their main goal is to liberalize trade, they also stand for the health of people and the environment. On its website it says "members must not use environmental protection measures as a mean of disguising protectionist policies." in other word, the members must not use environmental protection to their advantage. The barriers set with uncertain researches of hormone injected beef can be considered using the protection to European's advantage.
ReplyDeleteIn a simple form the WTO:
-promote free trade/trade liberalization by removing tariffs and barriers
-promote world peace (Not a single WWs since WTO was created!)
-keeps economy flowing
-keeps products at low cost
-settles disputes by following the principle of non-discrimination
-increases the stardard of living
-and many more
Some of the common misunderstandings of WTO:
-poor countries are powerless!
-WTO is undemocratic!
-WTO doesn't care about the health of people and environment!
I support WTO. I mean, 154 countires joined WTO and why would they join WTO if it harms country? That just doesn't make sense. WTO has been effective at promoting free trade and liberalizing trades which are also their main goals. The reason why you are able to see this piece of writing is because WTO worked hard to lower the trade barriers to bring this electronic device for cheaper price and better quality then many other competitive products. This applies to the clothing on your back too and the products you use in everyday life.
Amy
Elly-part1
ReplyDeleteIn 1994, GATT was created for economic recovery from the World War II. That was successful in economy and the GATT was expanded. This is called WTO, World Trade Organization. The main goal of WTO is to increase international trade by making trade more predictable and lowing or removing trade barriers like tariffs and subsidies. Tariff is a tax on imported goods of services to reduce competition with domestic and subsidy is the financial help of government to companies of their country. The WTO tries to reduce these trade barriers. In short, the purpose of WTO is free trade trough trade liberalization. But now the WTO is being on issue because of these followings. According the UN Development program report, the poorest of the world's population 80% consume just 14% and the richest 20% consume all left 86%. Therefore the most recent period of rapid growth in global trade and inequality worsened both internationally and within countries. It is results of the WTO. Also, the WTO undermines local development and penalizes poor countries. It is illegal under the WTO that the companies hire local residents, use domestic materials, of adopt environmentally sound practices. And under the WTO rules, developing countries are prohibited from following the same polices that developed countries pursued such as protecting nascent, domestic industries until they can be internationally competitive. It means the poor countries will be always poor. The WTO is destroying the environment. For example, U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ruled which required gasoline refineries to make cleaner gas in an effort to reduce air pollution. So U.S required gasoline refineries to Venezuela and Brazil. But the WTO decided the U.S rules could be "discriminatory". As a result, EPA has been forced to rewrite its standards to allow dirtier gasoline. Another example is that the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires domestic and foreign shrimp fishers to catch shrimp by methods that do not kill endangered sea turtles. But the WTO ruled that U.S. laws created to protect turtles violated WTO rules. The WTO doesn't care about the environment. It tends to focus too much on their goal.
Elly part2
ReplyDeleteThe WTO is killing people. South Africa and Thailand, both hard-hit by AIDs, have used a "compulsory license" clause, which allows a government to grant local companies a license to produce a drug in cases of health emergencies. But the U.S. threatened Thailand with trade sections under the WTO. As a result, Thailand banned the clause because Thailand exports 25% to U.S. even though the people in Thailand need AIDs drug emergently. This is really bad and pitiful situation. The WTO ignores consumer, environmental, human rights and labor organizations. The WTO doesn't care about these important matters in order to achieve their goal. There is an example about it. Exporting the hormone injected beef from North America which can cause cancers and increase level of sexual hormone was issued around the world. Many people in the world didn't want and rejected the beef but WTO stated that rejecting the beef is against the rule of WTO. In South Korea, 2008, a hundred thousands of people demonstrated nonviolently with candles about this determination. But sometimes, there were violent demonstrations. The activity was very big. The WTO doesn't listen to the opinions of citizen and doesn't care their health and rights. The WTO says that this system encourages good government and helps to keep the peace. I doubt these statements. When the governments accepted the beef infected hormone, they got many blames from the citizen. Is that a way to create a good government? I don't think so. It made more bad government to citizen. And there were many troubles and protests between countries and between government and the citizen like demonstration of rejecting the beef. Many people are killed by WTO like the situation in the South Africa and Thailand. Is that helping to keep peace? I think the WTO is very essential organization but it have to listen to the opinions of people carefully and it need more humanity. The WTO is concerns too much of their goal to care other important matters. The WTO has to change to create a better to the world.
Elly
I'm hopping on Rosanne's bandwagon! Here's a link to my assignment: http://insidemyheadjt.blogspot.ca/2012/05/my-social-assignment.html
ReplyDeleteThe WTO is an organization that was evolutionized from GATT and its goal is to create free trade and trade liberalization. The WTO consists of 153 member countries with 30 memberships pending. The WTO is working towards reducing or removing the restrictions placed by tariffs by governments. The process of protectionism raises prices and the cost of living and the WTO reduces the subsidies and trade barriers. When a country protects their agriculture the price of food increases – the estimate is $1,500 for a family of four in the European Union.
ReplyDeleteNot only does the lowering of trade barriers cut the costs of food but also clothing, vehicles, phones, and other goods and services. In the late 1990s import restrictions and high customs raised the US textiles and clothing prices by 58%. Canadian, UK, and Australian consumers also had to pay hundreds of millions of dollars more per year because of the same restrictions and the clothing industry went through a major reform under the WTO. Economists calculate that if customs duties were also to be eliminated the world gain would be around $23 billion. Less barriers also creates more choice and a broader range of qualities for consumers. The imports your country has the more products you can choice from. With the competition from imports local produces may also work towards improving the quality of their own products. Trade also increases the incomes both nationally and personally. Economists estimate that cutting trade barriers by 1/3 would boost the world economy by $613 billion.This is equivalent to adding an economy of the same scale as Canada to the world. Not only does the WTO reduce the trade barriers but the disputes are handled in a more constructive manner. Disputes are based on WTO agreements sothat there is a clear basis for judging who is right or wrong. The expanding membership of the WTO reflects that countries have faith in the system to solve their differences. The system is built on rules, not power which makes life easier. The agreements are agreed and negotiated by all members and the agreements apply to everyone. Rich and poor countries have the right to challenge one another in a dispute.
Many arguments have come up about the decisions of the WTO, two of which are concerning the WTO’s lack of acknowledgement towards labor and human rights and that the WTO does not care for the destruction of the environment. The goal ofthe WTO is free trade and trade liberalization not to ensure that all products are created by adult workers being paid at least minimum wage. There are other organizations to do that job. Take the case of the European Union wanting to ban hormone injected beef from Canadaand the US do to cancer risks. The European Union put up a barrier and it’s theWTO’s job to get rid of it. It is the job of the producers and the governments of the countries to ensure that their beef is safe to eat not the WTO’s. If a ban on importing a rare mineral is removed it’s not the WTO’s job to make sure that the restriction is reduced. It is not in the WTO’s ‘job description’ to ensure that these concerns are taken into account. Their goal is trade liberalization.
ReplyDeleteBy Alex
This is my opinionated people blog. i couldn't get it to post.
P.S. For the assignments sake, this is my ‘opinion’. The truth of the matter is that in a lot of ways the WTO is good and in a lot of way the WTO is bad. Cheaper living? Good. People dying? Bad. My honest opinion is that I do not really have one of the WTO. The amount I care about what the WTO does extends only to the point of what I need to know in order to pass this class. However, this opinion was not option. Our options were to express whether we support or were against the WTO. I could have very easily written against the WTO but seeing as – from what I saw on the blog – everyone else had done that I decided to write for the WTO.
Emilie's Rant! Yahhhhh!!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://hatchrants.blogspot.ca/