Re the USA Whats the diffrence between Chechnya and Kosovo? How is it that the US can smash one yet is poweerless to act on behalf of the Chechins? Also the McDonalds in Belgarde did not save the Serbs did it? Another hole in the argument of the globalising running dogs Cheers >From Aotearoa - New Zealand We just elected a post structurally adjusted Centre-Left-Green Coalition government Cheers David Tolich
>Bill Ward: >What has been of interest in the discussion of the WTO across several list servs is the lack of discussion about why nations have developed a new organization and have not used a variety of organizations within the UN. > >I can anticipate some of the possible responses but the fact that a new organization had to be created says that the UN's openness might be the major problem. >--- As I understand it, a number of institutions grew out of talks held just after WWII, particularly talks held at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. These institutions were to be relatively independent of governments and pro-active in promoting more liberal trade, resolving international monetary problems and providing capital for third world developement. They included the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. I don't know why they were not put under UN auspices, but the reason may be similar to having central banks which are independent of government -- you want to give them as much freedom of action as possible, and not be constrained by politics. The WTO grew out of, and replaced, GATT some time within the past decade. My understanding is that this happened because GATT could no longer deal with the kinds of international trade problems that were emerging. Something stronger was needed, something that could resolve disputes, set rules and take leadership on emerging issues. Ed Weick