Sovereignty Yes, FTAA No!

Analysis and Documents

National Campaign Against the FTAA (org.)

Introduction

The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is a proposed trade agreement between the United States and 34 countries in the Americas. The FTAA would create a single market for goods, services, and investment across the Americas, and would be the largest free trade area in the world.

The FTAA has been negotiated in secret for over a decade, and is now being pushed for approval by the Bush administration. However, there is growing opposition to the FTAA from a wide range of groups, including labor unions, environmentalists, farmers, and human rights activists.

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the FTAA, and includes documents that have been leaked from the negotiations. The book argues that the FTAA would have a devastating impact on the United States and the Americas, and that it should be rejected.

The FTAA: A Threat to Sovereignty

The FTAA would give corporations unprecedented power to challenge government regulations in the name of "free trade." This could lead to a race to the bottom, as countries compete to attract investment by lowering environmental standards, labor standards, and consumer protections.

The FTAA would also undermine the ability of governments to provide essential services to their citizens. For example, the FTAA could prevent governments from regulating the price of prescription drugs, or from providing public health care.

The FTAA: A Threat to Democracy

The FTAA would be negotiated in secret, and would be immune from public scrutiny. This would give corporations a powerful voice in shaping the rules of the global economy, while excluding the public from the process.

The FTAA would also give corporations the power to sue governments for damages if they believe that their profits have been harmed by government regulations. This could have a chilling effect on government regulation, and could lead to a corporate-controlled economy.

The FTAA: A Threat to the Environment

The FTAA would lead to increased trade in goods and services, which would in turn lead to increased pollution and environmental degradation. The FTAA would also make it more difficult for governments to regulate environmental standards, as corporations could challenge these standards in the name of "free trade."

The FTAA: A Threat to Labor

The FTAA would lead to increased competition for jobs, which would drive down wages and benefits for workers. The FTAA would also make it more difficult for unions to organize workers, as corporations could move their operations to countries with weaker labor laws.

The FTAA: A Threat to Farmers

The FTAA would lead to increased competition for farmers, as they would be forced to compete with farmers from other countries who have lower production costs. The FTAA would also make it more difficult for governments to support farmers, as these supports could be challenged in the name of "free trade."

The FTAA: A Threat to Human Rights

The FTAA would undermine human rights protections, as corporations could challenge government regulations that protect workers, consumers, and the environment. The FTAA would also make it more difficult for governments to provide essential services to their citizens, such as education and health care.

Conclusion

The FTAA is a dangerous agreement that would have a devastating impact on the United States and the Americas. It would undermine sovereignty, democracy, the environment, labor, farmers, and human rights. The FTAA should be rejected.

Documents

This book includes a number of documents that have been leaked from the FTAA negotiations. These documents provide a glimpse into the secret world of the FTAA, and show how the agreement is being negotiated in the interests of corporations, not the public.

The documents include:

• The FTAA negotiating text
• The FTAA investment chapter
• The FTAA intellectual property chapter
• The FTAA services chapter
• The FTAA agriculture chapter
• The FTAA environment chapter
• The FTAA labor chapter

These documents are essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the FTAA and its implications. They provide a clear picture of the dangers of the FTAA, and why it should be rejected.