Protect American jobs? I won't even address that! The point isn't to protect foreigner's rights, either. The point is that the IMF and World Bank are funded largely by the US and are run under what is called the "Washington Consensus" economic policy. The point: US imperialism. Western imperialism. Even beyond that, their policies are terrible for developing nations -- the World Bank even admitted that in their recent report on Africa. The problem with the WTO has more to do with power and leverage -- remember that representatives from Africa and Asia pulled out of agreements when they went as far as to have meetings WITHOUT them. One of the things your comments center around is corruption (which I acknowledge is perhaps the single largest problem in Central/South America). Companies aren't any less corrupt than the government that (doesn't) control them. The Bolivian government sold the water rights to the US Bechtel for such a little amount (I think it was $60,000) that you know there were dealings under the table. Bechtel was the only bid considered. The problem is that IMF/World Bank-mandated reforms pave the way for foreign corporations to come in and capitalize on the corruption of the government and the poverty of the people. They exacerbate the corruption, not fix it.
This article on Bolivia is a pretty good example of how both the WTO (which aims to lower trade barriers, period) and the IMF/World Bank go wrong: http://www.seattleu.edu/student/spec/opinion/artic le.asp?key=1870
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Protect American jobs? I won't even address that! The point isn't to protect foreigner's rights, either. The point is that the IMF and World Bank are funded largely by the US and are run under what is called the "Washington Consensus" economic policy. The point: US imperialism. Western imperialism. Even beyond that, their policies are terrible for developing nations -- the World Bank even admitted that in their recent report on Africa. The problem with the WTO has more to do with power and leverage -- remember that representatives from Africa and Asia pulled out of agreements when they went as far as to have meetings WITHOUT them. One of the things your comments center around is corruption (which I acknowledge is perhaps the single largest problem in Central/South America). Companies aren't any less corrupt than the government that (doesn't) control them. The Bolivian government sold the water rights to the US Bechtel for such a little amount (I think it was $60,000) that you know there were dealings under the table. Bechtel was the only bid considered. The problem is that IMF/World Bank-mandated reforms pave the way for foreign corporations to come in and capitalize on the corruption of the government and the poverty of the people. They exacerbate the corruption, not fix it.
This article on Bolivia is a pretty good example of how both the WTO (which aims to lower trade barriers, period) and the IMF/World Bank go wrong: http://www.seattleu.edu/student/spec/opinion/artic le.asp?key=1870