Television reports of last weekend’s Summit of the Americas,
where 34 heads of state opened talks on a new Free Trade Area of
the Americas (FTAA), were full of images of men in suits talking
trade while masked protesters clashed with police outside in the
streets, separated from the meeting by a 12 foot high concrete and
chain-link wall. Yet mainstream media reports were decidedly,
though not surprisingly, light on substance. So what really
happened in Quebec? And why should you care about a treaty that
would extend the ‘benefits’ of NAFTA to the entire
hemisphere?
The best source of FTAA-related news and commentary is
AlterNet, which has compiled an array of reports and
analyses from a variety of sources, including Salon.com,
TomPaine.com, CorpWatch and the Toronto Globe and Mail.
The page is still evolving as reports continue to roll in. Another
excellent source is the Center for Media Alternatives of Quebec,
which is affiliated with the Independent Media Centers that have
sprung up since the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle.
In a report for Salon.com, David Moberg offers this summary:
‘The protesters did not manage to halt the summit, but their
actions and the police tear gas — which was often quite noticeable
inside the fence and in the official summit hotels — did disrupt
the event. And though Seattle was more of a shock and surprise to
the global elite and the mass media, the turnout in Quebec was
larger, pushing the battle over globalization to a new level. The
protests focused on an issue that has otherwise barely entered into
the consciousness of most Americans, North and South, and more
people are now aware of the proposed treaty. But they may wonder
what it portends for them when government leaders and their
corporate supporters secret themselves behind a chain-link fence to
plot the future of the Americas.’
–Leif Utne
LINKS:
• AlterNet‘s
FTAA
Coverage
• Center for Media
Alternatives of Quebec
•
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