The Road to Seattle
The mass global uprising against capitalismis set to explode across the front pages again in November as world leaders gather in Seattle for the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Created after the seven long years of the 'Urugauy Round' of negotiations on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, there has been continual and increasing resistance to the WTO. In 1995, the year of its inception, half a million small farmers rallied against it in India. Last year, during the second ministerial conference in Geneva (home of the WTO), the city was besieged as thousands opposed the capitalist celebrations taking place behind closed doors. Simultaneously, protest street parties took place in about 30 countries. Later that year, the Director General, Renato Ruggerio was pied in London.

This year’s global protest of June 18th.sent shivers through the financial world. Mike Moore, the incoming WTO director-general has staked his leadership on securing a better deal for developing countries, and now sees promoting the “benefits” of free trade, as one of his main priorities. Meanwhile, resistance is growing stronger and more diverse, inspiring and reaching out to more and more people.

Seattle will explode with protests. There are plans to shut down the conference on 30th Nov. Trade unions from all over the USA and Canada will send thousands of workers to protest, there will be street theatre, teach-ins, conferences and rallies and several international caravans will arrive, having travelled across North America informing and acting against the conference. A citywide general strike has been called for. The Zapatistas will be attending the celebrations. And in Europe, plans are afoot for a variety of diverse and decentralised protests. Tens of thousands of protesters are expected.

In a few short years the WTO has transformed the nature of the global economy, striking down labour standards and environmental legislation as it creates an ever more frenzied environment for global trade, forcing all countries to lower standards in a world wide race to the bottom. And behind the closed doors of the conference centres the grey suits, representing the 134 member nations of the WTO, will be thrashing out plans to de-regulate even more of the world economy. A “global free logging agreement” is up for signing at Seattle and the ‘reform’ of national healthcare systems will also be on the agenda.

There will be three main sets of issues. Firstly, many of the WTO agreements, those relating to intellectual property (TRIPS), agriculture, and services (GATS) are time-limited and due for review. Secondly come commitments made at past WTO meetings to conduct future negotiations on agriculture and services.

Thirdly come ‘new issues’ - proposals to extend the power of the WTO into areas such as investment, competition policy and government procurement. Investment negotiations are likely to follow the same pattern as the internationally reviled and ill-fated Multilateral Agreement On Investments (see CW5/6 & 8) whilst government procurement will force liberalisation on the spending policies of all governmental bodies.
Here is some of what is planned as resistance:

Resist the WTO: Road Show
Art and Revolution Street Theatre Troupe will join a multi-media, giant puppet and dance perform-ance, teach-in tour of the Western U.S. and Canada from September 28 to October 18 (in Seattle October 5) to educate, agitate and organise against the World Trade Organisation Summit.

Action/Street Theatre Camp Nov. 20-28
Nine days of street theatre, giant puppet, dance and music making/ skillsharing/ performing, non-violent direct action trainings and affinity (action) group formations, community building fun, co-ordination and preparation meetings, outreach, performance around Seattle, and more.

Nov 30 Shut Down the WTO
Mass Non-violent Direct Action Info
A large scale, high visibility action to shut down the World Trade Organisation is planned for Tuesday November 30. Organisers intend to non-violently block the meeting.

Check www.seattlewto.org for more info