:: 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

Two-nation trade talk of town at summit

18-Nov-2005 Associated Press

As world leaders gathered Friday for their annual talks on building a free trade zone that circles the Pacific, they were also spending time in sideline huddles forging one-on-one agreements.

Apec admits dangers of bilateral deals

18-Nov-2005 Financial Times

Criticised by business leaders and alarmed by the possible failure of next month's world trade talks in Hong Kong, Asia-Pacific governments are acknowledging for the first time the dangers of the tangled "spaghetti bowl" of bilateral trade deals they have spawned in the past few years.

America's free trade agenda: The state of bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations

2-Nov-2005 Heritage Foundation

A Heritage Foundation summary of the role of FTAs in the US trade agenda.

Trade deals mushroom, with or without WTO

31-Oct-2005 DowJones News

A World Trade Organization ministerial meeting in Hong Kong in December is looming as key to the shape of free trade in Asia in the 21st century as countries within the region intensify their interest in integrating their markets.

Groups to rally against Bush in Argentina

30-Oct-2005 AP

"We think his policies are totally contrary to what we want for Latin America and are promoting genocide, domination of workers and their communities and the plundering of natural resources," said Argentine labor leader Juan Gonzalez, who is heading a protest "People's Summit" coinciding with Bush's visit Thursday through Saturday.

UNESCO adopts convention to protect diversity

21-Oct-2005 IPS

The United Nations cultural body adopted an international treaty Thursday to protect cultural diversity. This a moral victory, but the real test is whether developing countries will resist US pressure to commit their audiovisual and information services to bilateral trade agreements.

The dynamics of regional trading arrangements

20-Oct-2005 South Centre

There has been a spate of trade agreements signed between countries in recent years - from the same region and even beyond. And this may not necessarily have to do with the fact that it has been a tough going for the multilateral trading system. Regionalism may have its own dynamics.

Dangerous liaison

18-Oct-2005 Kathmandu Post

Under the guise of freeing trade, bilateral trade agreements (BTAs) are being used as a tool to further an absolute top-down Northern agenda, at the victimization of the poor and marginalized groups and communities of the South.

Developed world undermining WTO spirit through FTAs

18-Oct-2005 Financial Express

FTAs are being designed by the developed countries to get more than what the WTO and TRIPS could give at this stage.

Specter of failure haunts WTO trade talks

10-Oct-2005 Taipei Times

"The consequences of failure would be an even further switch to [bi-lateral] Free Trade Agreements [FTAs] and long-term weakness for multilateral trade. Trade would become more discriminatory," said Razeen Sally, visiting senior research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.

:: Across the board ::

Referenced sites

21st Century Trade Agreements: Implications for Long-Run Development Policy

#A18DoA - Global day of action to defeat free trade and investment treaties

Alianza Social Continental

ICC

Movimientos.org

Pambazuka

People over profit

Peoples Global Action

Regional/Multilateral Integration Agreements

SOMO

South Centre

Stop fast track!

ISDS Case Map