[Imc-london-audio] Fighting FTAs: download / listen to interviews on the growing resistance to bilateral free trade and investment agreements...

[Stefan Christoff]

Fighting FTAs: interviews from around the world on the growing
resistance to bilateral free trade and investment agreements...

* Produced / recorded for Fighting FTAs by Stefan Christoff:
http://www.fightingftas.org/

Fighting FTAs: new publication and website on resistance to bilateral free 
trade and investment agreements launched by bilaterals.org, GRAIN and BIOTHAI. 
While global trade talks at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) stagnate, 
governments and corporations are busy spinning a complex web of bilateral free 
trade and investment agreements (FTAs). "Fighting FTAs" looks at what this FTA 
frenzy is really about, how social movements are fighting back and strategic 
learnings emerging from these struggles.

As part of this international project, journalist Stefan Christoff has produced 
a series of interviews providing a global picture on the current state of free 
trade policy, focusing on regional and bilateral trade accords and their 
impacts on the environment, people, economies internationally.

These important interviews include voices from all corners of the world, 
allowing the listener to develop a critical understanding of the contemporary 
nature of 'free-trade' policy around the world, while also understanding the 
perspectives of grassroots social movements to such trade accords...

* Radio Documentary: Fighting FTAs, 60 minute documentary...
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article144

---> download / listen-to interviews with:

* Christine Ahn, Korean-Americans for Fair Trade, U.S.
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article250

* Nick Buxton, journalist in Bolivia
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article150

* Beverly Keen, Jubilee South Network, Argentina
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article257

* Manuel Rozental, Canada-Colombia Solidarity Campaign, Colombia
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article202

* Silvia Rodriguez, the Biodiversity Coordination Network, Costa Rica
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article204

* Burke Stansbury, Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador 
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article172

* John Hilary, War on Want, U.K.
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article261

* Anthony Akunzule, the Ghana Poultry Network
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article248

* Armin Paasch, Food First Action and Information Network (FIAN)
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article249

* Kole Kilibarda, the Coalition against Israeli Apartheid, Toronto
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article174

* Jennifer Moore, Canadian journalist, Ecuador
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article203

* Charly Poppe, Friends of the Earth Europe, Belgium
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article242

* Marc Maes, Coalition of the Flemish North South Movement in Belgium
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article243

* Wallie Roux, Namibian campaigner against EU bilateral trade accords
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article258

* Azra Sayeed, Activist / Academic, Pakistan
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article259

* Daoud Hamoudeh, Stop the Wall Campaign, Palestine
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article260

* Aziz Choudry, bilaterals.org, international
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article107

* Laura Carlsen, the International Relations Center, Mexico City
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article256

* Pat Ranald, the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article149

* Ruperto Aleroza, Fisherfolk Movement of the Philippines
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article263

* Fernando Hicap, Nationwide Federation of Fisherfolk, Philippines
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article263

* Witoon Lianchamroon, BIOTHAI, Thailand
http://www.fightingftas.org/spip.php?article264

FTAs are powerful weapons of neoliberal globalisation that go much further than 
WTO agreements. Through these secretive deals, states and corporations are 
trying to divide and conquer the world, creating vast new privileges for 
transnational corporations. Typically, FTAs cover a broad array of issues, from 
giving corporations the right to sue governments, to legalising the dumping of 
American farm surpluses, to raising the cost of life-saving medicines through 
longer patent terms. FTAs further concentrate economic power and natural 
resources in the hands of a few, disempower communities, destroy biodiversity 
and undermine food sovereignty. And each concession made through an FTA becomes 
a benchmark for further deals.

FTAs are not just trade deals, though. They are important foreign policy tools 
to advance governments' geopolitical interests. The US, for example, explicitly 
links its FTAs to the so-called "war on terror". The EU, China and Japan and 
others also combine economic and political agendas through these agreements.

Small farmers, workers, people living with HIV/AIDS, indigenous peoples and 
many others have been under attack from FTAs and bilateral investment deals 
ever since the North America Free Trade Agreement was signed in 1992. But 
together with many other social sectors, they have been fighting back. From 
Australia to Colombia, and from Morocco to Korea, massive popular struggles to 
defeat FTAs have been waged by grassroots movements, often met with fierce 
repression. Today, as FTAs continue to mushroom, people's resistance is 
growing.

It can be hard to get an overall view of what all these FTAs mean. And because 
these deals are often bilateral ones, many resistance struggles are carried out 
at the national level, which can make it difficult to link forces across 
borders. "Fighting FTAs" aims to help to overcome these hurdles and facilitate 
more sharing and learning from the diverse movements against FTAs worldwide.

"Fighting FTAs" is a collaborative effort of many people involved in these 
struggles on the ground. To accompany the publication, a dedicated website is 
available with additional texts, audio interviews, photos from the struggles, 
anti-FTA films and other resources.

----

"Fighting FTAs: The growing resistance to bilateral free trade and investment 
agreements", bilaterals.org, BIOTHAI and GRAIN (editors), 102 pages, February 
2008. Available in English, French, Spanish and soon Thai. Online at 
http://www.fightingftas.org. Hard copies available on request from 
fightingftas.org[at]gmail.com. Groups are free to reproduce and translate the 
material.

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