New "axis of evil"?

[lacanchita]

Just wondering what you all think and know about the current American POV on the fairly recent "Lula" election in Brazil. The Washington post was quick to connect Lula with Chavez and Castro (hence the axis of evil).
It is no secret that with the American led proposal to extend NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) into Latin America via the FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas), its final implementation relies heavily on the cooperation of Brazil. So now, Brazil, led by Lula who has not been shy in voicing his opinion against the proposal-particularly in regards to a few of the chapters- is in a position to basically decide for Lation America whether to join or not.
Now, with the current sitation in Venezuela, highly condemed by the US, it seems like they are looking to overthrow one of the economic power houses in Latin America so as to get a stronger foothold into the region.
What is it all going to lead to? I say, Brazil should take the iniciative and disregard the proposed FTAA and bring together the Latin American countries into a stronger economic relationship, particularly the smaller and weaker caribbean and landlocked states.
*not really sure what my point was...kinda spread out....feel free to reply to any of the topics*


(Edited by lacanchita at 9:52 pm on Feb. 20, 2003)

[Guardia Bolivariano]

In Venezuela president Chavez and his goverment are strongly agaisnt the ALCA.He said "the only way we would get in to this "pact" would be by referendum,I really don't trust this plan It's away of out to the industrialized nations"

(Edited by Guardia Bolivariano at 9:51 pm on Feb. 19, 2003)

[lacanchita]

Guardia Bolivariano, I totally agree with what Chavez says. It is a plan for the North American countries to take more control over the Latin American countries. I am completely against NAFTA as well. There is no such thing as free trade becuase, simply put, it costs el pueblo too much.

(Edited by lacanchita at 10:04 pm on Feb. 19, 2003)

[Pete]

I also disagree with NAFTA. 1) It only benifits America and 2) They don't even follow it.

[deimos]

I've also heard that countries that join the FTAA have to liberalize eductaion, water supply etc. etc..
Is this true?

[Fabetz]

deimos,

It's not in the paper... but of course that it'll hapen 'cause in the ALCA the corporations would be able to process the governament for bad services and force it to liberalize education, water and energy supply, etc... every public service will be particular... We will have north american companys everywere....

Here in Brasil we have organized a "Plebiscito" against ALCA. More than 10 million people have voted...
The number is small 'cause the Plebiscito was organized with low money...



p.s.: sorry my english.
odeio topicos em ingles...


(Edited by Fabetz at 3:39 am on Feb. 21, 2003)

[lacanchita]

Yes Fabetz and deimos, the ALCA will do exactly that. It will pressure and make all states that have signed to open their boarders and markets to the 'wonderful' world of free trade. This would mean that all those countries would have to offer Most Favored Nation status to each other meaning that all tariffs and taxes on imports would have to be lowered and be the same across the table. So i fyou think about it, all the small caribbean countries who get the bulk of their national revenue from these taxes and tariffs will now have no means of income. The lowered taxes and tariffs will also allow the "free-flow" of foreign products that are produced cheaper and are therefore sold cheaper than the national competition. Furthermore, with the opening of boarders come the multi and trans -national corporations that will come in and now sell to these people what they had previously recieved from the state, things such as healthcare, education, water services and of course energy.

There are tons of other nasties that will come along with the FTAA/ALCA. It represents nothing good for el pueblo, only a further degradation of their living standards and employment opportunities.
However, there will be many that benefit, namely the political and economic elite of every country as well as the American companies that open subsiduary companies across the Americas.
How anyone can see any good in this (besides the benefactors) is beyond me. The IMF sells quite a load in saying that free trade and open markets promote prosperity and fight poverty. Maybe they are partially right, free trade could help IF it was fair, which we all no it isnt.


Fabetz: your english is great :)

(Edited by lacanchita at 9:43 pm on Feb. 20, 2003)

[El Brujo]

NAFTA seems like just a nummed version of the "pan-American" agreement during the cold war that authorized states in the continent to "protect each other against communism" (ie: authorized the US to set up fascist dictatorships to protect their interests and their interests only if leftist parties had the chance to come to power).

The only good thing coming out of Dubya's war-mongering campaign is that the US is more-or-less ignoring Latin America so there is less of a chance they could force agreements like NAFTA, ALCA, or FTAA on them.

[pay feo 2003]

i say "yeah, fuck it!"

[Palmares]

Fuck NAFTA!