Capitalists

[Qwerty Dvorak]

Hello, just wondering what all you OIers think about governments trading with other governments/nations with questionable human rights records?

P.S. I lied, there is no penny.

[Ele'ill]

Well, I oppose the World Trade Organization but in terms of the country having seperate and internal human rights violations I guess it depends on the situation. If country A has government A that commited some attrocities I would find it hard to accept open trade between my country and it. It's like buying cookies from the pedophile who had his abducted children bake them.

[ShakeZula06]

What do countries trade?

[Qwerty Dvorak]

Resources, I would assume. I suppose in capitalist nations it would be more a case of corporations trading, not governments. So put it this way if you wish (to be an awkward bastard), do you think corporations have an ethical duty not to endorse such governments or countries or corporations? And of course there are state and semi-state bodies, in which case the original question still applies.

[ShakeZula06]

. I suppose in capitalist nations it would be more a case of corporations trading, not governments.
This is my point. Nation's do not trade, as they don't actually own anything to trade. They only place regulations on other individuals or partys that wish to trade. The way you phrase the question implies that government's has some right to place regulations on trade just because they are able to control that arbitrary turf in which it enforces others to pay protection money to.

So put it this way if you wish (to be an awkward bastard),
An insult from a socialist? NO WAY!! My nitpick was designed to show the flaw in your thinking.

do you think corporations have an ethical duty not to endorse such governments or countries or corporations?
Sure. But I also don't endorse placing limitations on businesses just because the state can.

i suppose part of these violations you're referring to would be the labor camps in various parts of the world for $2/day wages. I'd just like to point out that these places exist because their respective government forced them off the land they previously used and mandated that they can only work in those sweat shops, which isn't a feature of the free market, but government intervention. And you don't fix government intervention with government intervention, you fix it by going to the source.

[Pow R. Toc H.]

Originally posted by [email protected] 16, 2007 11:04 pm
Hello, just wondering what all you OIers think about governments trading with other governments/nations with questionable human rights records?

P.S. I lied, there is no penny.
I think it would depend entirely on the situation. But, of course if it was a blatant case of crimes against humanity or anything of that sort, I would say fuck em'. I guess my only question would be are we talking about corporations that reside in a nation with questionable human rights records or in general doing business with that nation?

This sounds very similiar to one of the question they ask you on CN, to which I answered no, but you could always trade in secret. :D

[t_wolves_fan]

Originally posted by [email protected] 16, 2007 11:04 pm
Hello, just wondering what all you OIers think about governments trading with other governments/nations with questionable human rights records?

P.S. I lied, there is no penny.
I assume you mean what do you think about governments permitting economic trade with countries that have dismal human rights records, since governments generally do not engage in trade.

My answer is that free trade expands freedom through an exchange of knowledge and ideas and so it should be permitted. Sanctions do little to improve the lives of the average citizen as Iraq, Cuba and North Korea suggest. They merely turn the leader into a sort of martyr.

Except in the most dangerous cases, societies have to figure out for themselves that tyranny doesn't work.

[colonelguppy]

its not like not trading with them will do anything to help the people.

[Knight of Cydonia]

Originally posted by [email protected] 17, 2007 07:37 am

. I suppose in capitalist nations it would be more a case of corporations trading, not governments.
This is my point. Nation's do not trade, as they don't actually own anything to trade.


Wrong!! my government once doing some trade with other nation in Asia. they trade a tons of rice for a plane...fuckin' junk plane...fuck!



So put it this way if you wish (to be an awkward bastard),
An insult from a socialist? NO WAY!! My nitpick was designed to show the flaw in your thinking.

You are all a Bastard

[Qwerty Dvorak]

Thanks for your opinions, I really just wanted to gather the general consensus of the OIers on this issue. Oh and ShakeZula chill out, I was joking.

[anti-theist]

Originally posted by [email protected] 16, 2007 11:04 pm
Hello, just wondering what all you OIers think about governments trading with other governments/nations with questionable human rights records?

P.S. I lied, there is no penny.
I have a problem with that. I have a problem with any government at all.