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The Problem(s) with Cafta
Posted July 27,2005:
Some would say that our trade agreements are both the operating systems of our global economy and the fertilizer, reflecting not only what can be agreed upon between the elites of the nation states, but also the dominant intellectual trade regime paradigm, known for years by the cognoscenti and now the rest of us as the so-called "Washington consensus." The basic metaphor for this paradigm is that 'a rising tide will lift all boats' which means, for those who believe that this naval truism applies to the world economy, that as long as the global economy is growing, whatever problems anyone encounters along the way will be ameliorated by an overall increase in wealth and particularly in corporate profits which will be used to generate new productive enterprises and thus more wealth.
UN Reform: What matters most? Oh, and Just Say No to John Bolton
Posted June 20,2005: It would not be extreme to say that this is
a defining moment for the relationship between the United States and the
United Nations. A good part of the US appears to be caught up in a wave
of populist and provincial sentiment that reflects not so much isolationism
as confusion over what roles we want for the US and for the UN in the 21st
century. Our foreign policy should express our intentions, but if we are
divided and confused, it is not surprising that we find it hard to speak
and act coherently on the international stage.
Chicago Opportunities to think and act internationally -
Just Say No To John Bolton
Posted June 13,2005: I was recently taken aback when a friend of mine opined that
"everyone basically thinks the UN is useless and ineffectual"
and didn't I agree? No, I said, I did not agree and in fact,
the more I learn about the United Nations, the more profoundly
I have come to respect it and the people who work in the varied
institutions that comprise the international political, social
and economic arena we blithely label "the United Nations."
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