bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

Across the board

This section contains news and analysis of sweeping developments that affect the overall push and pull towards FTAs and bilateral investment treaties. This means major trends relating to bilateralism, often with global consequences, and other cross-cutting issues. New developments arising from US politics, the WTO or South-South alliance-building, for instance, are often reported here as they tend to have systemic impacts.

last update: May 2012

TWN preliminary report on FTA/WTO and financial crisis
16-Mar-2009    
A new TWN report finds that North-South free trade agreements, bilateral investment treaties and World Trade Organization commitments often contain a number of provisions that can increase the likelihood of a financial crisis and make it more difficult to take the necessary measures to deal with one once it occurs.
US lawmaker details obstacles to free trade deals
12-Mar-2009     Reuters
Panama, Colombia and South Korea need to resolve a number of outstanding concerns before Congress will approve free trade pacts with each of those countries, a US lawmaker said on Wednesday.
Seoul seeks ‘concrete measures‘ on free trade
12-Mar-2009     FT
South Korea is pushing for the G20 countries to support a moratorium on new import tariffs at next month's meeting, according to President Lee Myung-bak.
Free Trade: Passing The Baton to Obama
10-Mar-2009    
When it comes to further advancing free trade initiatives, it really makes no difference which party controls, congress or the presidency.
Developing countries turn to South-South trade
8-Feb-2009     Reuters
Developing countries hoping to compensate for slumping demand in rich countries and falling commodity prices are looking at ways to bolster one of the most dynamic parts of their economies -- South-South trade.
The end of free trade?
5-Feb-2009     Socialist Worker
The US will find it harder and harder to maintain neoliberalism abroad and some sort of financial state capitalism at home. As unemployment grows, it will also become more difficult to use access to the US market as leverage to incorporate client states abroad into the fold of US imperialism. We are at a major turning point. Like most of neoliberal ideology, free trade has lost its allure. However, what will replace it isn't entirely clear. There are many possibilities, and they all depend on the level of class struggle. In the US, the most crucial question is whether workers get pulled into a nationalist, protectionist "Buy American" campaign--or whether they take an internationalist approach in concert with workers in other countries
'Buy American' stimulus plan riles trade partners
30-Jan-2009     AFP
A new "Buy American" push in President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan is sparking protests about protectionism from US trading partners.
Time to rethink free trade agreements with the United States
20-Jan-2009     Americas Program
The path to "free trade"--as defined by George Bush and his predecessors--is currently at a crossroads. The Obama presidency, the growing number of developing countries that oppose NAFTA-like trade agreements, and the global economic crisis are interrelated factors that provide an opportunity to rethink this model and demand conditions favoring equitable development.
WTO launches new database on regional trade agreements
15-Jan-2009     FinChannel
The WTO has launched a new database on regional trade agreements (RTAs). This contains all the relevant documentation received by the WTO following notification by a WTO member that an RTA has been established.
Europe: 'Double standards on trade'
23-Dec-2008     IPS
Double standards are being applied in the way that the European Union awards trade preferences to poor countries, an African exporters grouping has alleged.