WTO: The question of e-commerce

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THIRD WORLD RESURGENCE
Issue No. 324/325 (Aug/Sept 2017) Click on cover to download the magazine (PDF) COVER: WTO: The question of e-commerce* Buenos Aires WTO Ministerial talks collapse in disarray The 11th WTO Ministerial Conference ended in deadlock and total disarray. By Chakravarthi Raghavan US undermines consensus at WTO meet in Buenos Aires The failure of the Buenos Aires Ministerial to secure a consensus is a further erosion of the multilateral framework of the WTO. By D Ravi Kanth North and its allies seek plurilateral route to push through new issues into the WTO agenda Resistance from developing countries has forced the countries of the North and their allies to seek a plurilateral route for new issues on the WTO agenda. By D Ravi Kanth Civil society organisations disappointed at failure of WTO conference to deliver on development issues Civil society organisations expressed disappointment on the failure of member states to address fundamental problems in the global trading system, especially those affecting the developing countries. By Kanaga Raja E-commerce in the WTO: Reinforcing global inequities There is no reason to believe the introduction of e-commerce into the WTO will be beneficial to the developing countries. By Biswajit Dhar WTO negotiations on e-commerce: Some myths busted Far from gaining from the outcome of negotiations on e-commerce, developing countries would be required under WTO rules on e-commerce to act against their national interest and development priorities. By Abhijit Das WTO e-commerce battle lines drawn across three camps It is clear that the issue of e-commerce and the divisions over it will resurface with greater vigour in coming WTO talks. By Parminder Jeet Singh Towards a new digital colonialism? While micro, small and medium-sized enterprises would benefit from a digital industrialisation strategy, the policies envisioned in the WTO are more likely to result in a new 'digital colonialism'. By Deborah James E-commerce discussions at the WTO: Neoliberal policies negotiated in secret are not acceptable Is the WTO the appropriate forum to discuss and in effect take over all key aspects of everything related to information technology and communications policy? By Richard Hill A positive agenda for discussing the digital economy at the WTO With e-commerce becoming a top issue in the WTO, developing countries have been struggling to grasp its implications. By Parminder Jeet Singh E-commerce in the WTO is effort to hijack basic Internet governance issues Technology platforms are attempting to hijack the issue of Internet governance and democracy by writing trade rules at the WTO under the rubric of 'e-commerce'. By Chakravarthi Raghavan ECOLOGY The Mekong, dammed to die Despite warnings from environmentalists, the governments of Laos and Cambodia have been adamant on pursuing dam projects along the Mekong River. By Pascal Laureyn Cuba verde As the long-isolated Caribbean nation opens up to global markets, will its low-carbon ecological adaptations endure? By Bill Weinberg	ECONOMICS Food sector consolidation 'threatens' food security Food sector consolidation represents a growing threat to global food security, a new report suggests. By Katy Askew Why we need to confront the billionaires' paradise The national and global growth of wealth concentration and inequality and the proliferation of tax havens have led to the emergence of political oligarchies the world over. By Richard Eskow Ready for the next debt storm? The international community is awaiting the storm with remarkable silence: only piecemeal steps have been taken in 2017 at the multilateral level in the areas of effective institutions for debt crisis prevention and resolution. By Bodo Ellmers WORLD AFFAIRS A century of refusal Palestinian opposition to the Balfour Declaration There has not been even a gesture of contrition by Britain for this monstrous act of injustice which deprived Palestinians of their homeland. By Lori Allen Trump's move on Jerusalem: Is this the end of US diplomacy in the Middle East? By accepting Israel's illegal annexation of Occupied East Jerusalem, President Trump has ended an American political gambit that lasted decades, and is shedding a mask worn by every US president during that period. By Ramzy Baroud Massive overkill: Brought to you by the nuclear-industrial complex President Trump's plan, under the renewed pressure of the 'military-industrial complex', to build a new generation of nuclear arms is a grave threat to world peace. By William D Hartung The US Southern Command's silent occupation of the Amazon The military exercise (AmazonLog2017) has created alarm among activists and researchers as to what its real goals are. By Santiago Navarro F and Renata Bessi Mugabe is out, but don't cheer because Zimbabwe's military is in The fact that it was the military which ousted the Zimbabwe President only means that it will remain a key player in the post-Mugabe era. By Alemayehu Mariam The economic war against Venezuela While Venezuela under President Nicolas Maduro is clearly the victim of an economic war waged by international and national actors as it claims, it has failed to clearly and cogently set out the evidence. By Steve Ellner In Argentina's mid-term elections, victories for Cambiemos Argentine President Mauricio Macri's centre-right party, Cambiemos, had a robust showing in October's mid-term elections. What does this say about democracy in Argentina? By Ernesto Seman and Gabriel Vommaro HUMAN RIGHTS Dark jubilee: An era of impunity In this analysis, the writer argues that this era of impunity in India really began 25 years ago with the 1992 demolition of the Babri Mosque by Hindu mobs. By Mukul Kesavan WOMEN The Weinstein effect: The global scourge of sexual harassment and exploitation A Hollywood scandal has turned into a global shockwave revealing a staggering scale of harassment, misogyny and violence. By Siddharth Chatterjee POETRY Earth This novelist, playwright, journalist, labour leader and poet laureate of the Philippines spent years in prison because of political persecution. By Amado V Hernandez Third World Resurgence Page
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