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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| World Trade Organisation |
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| BroHanif |
| 09/10/03 at 18:00:23 |
| Salaams, What are yor thoughts on WTO? Do you think its a rich mans club i.e. Europe and America or is an area where the poor famrers of the world can demand more for their produce? Does Islam have an answer to all of this i.e. fair trade and treating business dealings accordingly? Let me know your thoughts... salaams, Hanif p.s. Please, please, please b4 u post, I don't want to see another rant against the corporate West and its policies but a thread where we can talk about the pros and cons without sighing and filling each others mouths with prozak pills. :) |
| NS |
| Re: World Trade Organisation |
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| theOriginal |
| 09/13/03 at 01:44:34 |
| [slm] Let me attempt to give my views on this matter...although I'm warning you, I have a learning disability which prevents me from articulating myself in a precise fashion, and I have a tendency to misrepresent what I want to say. Also I have so much to say about this, it's scaring me. Enough of the preamble. Every action has some intention behind it, and I believe in my heart that all intentions start off good, but something may change them for the worse. So for example, the creation of the WTO started off with the intention to liberalize the trade of goods, services, labor, etc by the frequently missused term "globalization" with its various tools and facets. But even beyond that, I believe that globalization never started off as an aim in itself. There's a human face to all of this, and there is a factor of poverty, which is what essentially globalization was meant to eliminate. And I truly believe that the WTO, some of the people who work there (and yes I have met quite a few), and some of the people who support it really have the intention of making the world a better place to live in. And we cannot, and MUST not claim that globalization has been all bad. Because of globalization there are countries in this world that have a wider access to education, health care, knowledge, labor, technology, goods, and services. Alhumdulillah. The WTO's job is to facilitate but also mediate these global trade flows, and that was the intention of it as well. And from what has been coined the "Unholy Trinity" (IMF/WB/WTO), I will forever remain convinced that it is the most angelic third. Reasons as follows: It is a one country, one vote organization. Large funders still get the same vote (but obviously a bigger lobby power). Furthermore, there was a direct effort made to start a Doha Development Agenda specifically for developing countries. Thirdly, in an age when communication and technology bring people closer together, it creates an excellent forum of discussion for those who might otherwise be excluded. Having said that. Things are wrong in this world, in the way it works, in the way rules are manipulated to derive a selfish benefit. The concept of single undertaking in the WTO is an absolute SCAM to exploit developing nations who might otherwise have the opportunity to do very well. Furthermore, if you look at capacity and process issues of the WTO, you'll notice the huge disparity, and hence the imbedded unfairness of this org. Some countries don't even have delegates in Geneva, some don't have delegates in Switzerland, and some don't even have delegates in all of Europe representing their country to the WTO. How do you expect them to be informed about the stuff they sign (which they HAVE to sign because of single undertaking). In comparison, developed countries have an average of 7 delegates in the country, plus the ones that are flown in from capitals for specific meetings. Process issues -- the WTO used to have explicit green rooms where only certain members were allowed. Now that's illegal, but it still occurs. The game is not fair. Let's also focus on developing countries. Some of them are such wusses. Pakistan included. I must say that some countries are making a serious effort (namely, India, Kenya, and Brazil), but most of them do nothing. If analyzed carefully, you can most plainly see that the rules (WTO) of the game (free trade) were written in such a way that it was easy to leave room for developed countries to derive huge benefits from it. This is where your agricultural goods argument comes in. This is why farmers in the third world are very poor. This is why the Multifiber will be phased out in less than 1.5 years, and this is why the US sells Canada back its own lumber (lol..had to add that one). Just in case any one is wondering...the deal with agricultural products is that farmers in developed nations are subsidized for their produce, which means they can supply more, which means that world price for these goods is lowered, which means farmers in developed nations do SIGNIFICANTLY better than those in poor countries, since they receive the world price + value of subsidy. Now, let's be frank. I am very far from being a communist, but neither am I a hardcore capitalist, and in spite of this fact, let's be seriously fair about the situation -- inequality is not only a reality, it is, in some cases, a much desired circumstance. I know I must have peeved people off with that one...and I'm sorry.... In conclusion, I like the WTO, but only because I see potential. I'm kind of tired, but bringing in how and where Islam comes into this is another long boring soliloquy...it is also just another "JustOne" theory, so maybe if this discussion gets rolling, I'll return with it. Thank you for reading. Wasalaam. |
| Re: World Trade Organisation |
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| Nomi |
| 09/15/03 at 02:41:07 |
| [slm] [quote author=JustOne link=board=ummah;num=1063227623;start=0#1 date=09/13/03 at 01:44:34] I'm kind of tired, but bringing in how and where Islam comes into this is another long boring soliloquy...it is also just another "JustOne" theory, so maybe if this discussion gets rolling, I'll return with it. [/quote] I'm interested... if you are not tired, that is... [slm] Asim Zafar. |
| Re: World Trade Organisation |
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| Halima |
| 09/15/03 at 07:19:21 |
| [slm] It has collapsed! And for the first time, because the third world (us poor folks) said enough is enough! That should tell everybody something. Shukran. Halima |
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