Do we have to CAFTA?

"Successful CAFTA-DR implementation is critical to the broader U.S. policy goals for the Americas of strengthening democratic governance, expanding economic opportunity, and investing in people."

That little bit of sweet-sounding fluff is part of recent a declaration by USTR (United States Trade Representative) spokesman Stephen Norton.

The truth, however, is that CAFTA is a behind-closed-doors deal brokered by an economic elite in the U.S. with the economic elite of six developing nations. It guarantees agribusiness, pharmaceutical companies and other major corporations access to expanded markets, extended protections and extensive supplies of cheap labor.

Another of CAFTA's more nefarious aspects is now coming to light: the push by Bush & Co. to impose a regimen of strict intellectual property laws in the other, nominally sovereign, signatory countries.

Which raises the following questions for me:

How is denying the sick access to affordable generic medicine considered "investing in people"?

How is punishing the underprivileged for selling cheap copies of dvds on the street considered "investing in people"?

How is threatening developing nations with cuts in development aid and loss of export benefits considered "investing in people"?

CAFTA is investing in people"?!? What a load of candy-coated bullshit.

Bush using CAFTA to expand corporate rights in Central America

by Tom Ricker and Burke Stansbury

What does tightening intellectual property laws have to do with “free” trade? That’s the question many people in Central America and the Dominican Republic are asking as the United States continues to insist on dramatic changes to constitutional laws in the six countries involved in the US-Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

As if the agreement itself weren’t bad enough for the region –CAFTA will hurt small farmers, worsen workers' rights, and lead to environmental degradation, among other negative effects– the US is manipulating the implementation process to demand even further concessions by the six countries involved.

The Bush administration continues to demand that intellectual property rights protections be tightened in the other CAFTA countries before they can be certified to join the agreement. The U.S. government is criticizing Guatemala’s pending intellectual property law for not being strict enough, thereby using CAFTA implementation to tighten restrictions on drug patents - benefiting pharmaceutical corporations but certainly not poor people in need of affordable drugs.

One country has achieved the necessary reforms necessary for implementation: El Salvador. In December the National Assembly rammed through 14 constitutional changes without any substantial debate, leading to the eruption of massive protests by informal sector market vendors a few weeks later. The reforms will impose fines and even jail time for those who sell and purchase pirated goods, thereby destroying the livelihood of many poor Salvadorans who depend on the informal economy.

Read the entire article!

Tags: Guatemala, CAFTA, Bush, Medicine, Central America