“The words “free trade agreement” should bring to mind the response
attributed to Gandhi when he was asked what he thought about western
civilization: “it might be a good idea.” Same with “free trade agreements.”
Maybe they would be a good idea, maybe not, but the question scarcely arises
in the real world. What are called “free trade agreements” have only a
limited relation to free trade, or even trade at all, and are certainly not
agreements, at least if the people of a country are regarded as its
citizens.

The FTAs are investor rights agreements, negotiated mostly in secret by
representatives of transnational corporations and the few powerful states
that cater to their interests. The public is largely excluded, and often
opposed. The agreements include highly protectionist elements, such as the
monopoly pricing rights that impose enormous costs on consumers and have no
legitimate justification. They interpret “trade” to include actions
internal to command economies, as when a giant corporation produces parts in
Indiana, ships them to a subsidiary in Mexico for assembly, then sells the
product in California, with each border crossing called “trade” — a very
large component of world “trade.” We did not call it “trade” when parts were
produced in Leningrad, assembled in Poland, and sold in Moscow, all within
the Soviet command economy. The concept of “trade” is further illuminated
by events taking place right now. The World Bank has just ruled that the
Canadian mining corporation Pacific Rim can proceed with its case against El
Salvador for trying to preserve lands and communities from highly
destructive gold mining. Under the investor rights agreements, the crime of
imposing environmental constraints can be punished on the grounds that it
harms potential profits. Predatory corporations must be guaranteed the
right to destroy for profit, whatever the human cost. That is only a tiny
sample of what is called “trade,” a category designed, not surprisingly, to
enhance the power and privilege of the designers. The public should be
concerned, informed, and engaged.”