Before we let blow-hard bourgeois students from an Ivy-league school tell us about Obama’s faults let’s first assess two things. One, what free trade exists in the world? Obama has no control over free-trade, he doesn’t even have a choice in the matter! The unelected “leaders” i.e. corporate lobbyists of the WTO and IMF decide who gets to trade what in this world. America didn’t become the economic power it did because of free trade. It rose to prominence because of hard-lined protectionist and isolationist policies of the 1800s. Now what defines free trade today? The privatization of third-world country’s resources by corporations backed by first-world countries: the privatization of African water by British corporations, OPEC acting like a drug-cartel and let’s not even begin to mention over 100,000 Indian farmers committing suicide because they can’t pay off debts implemented by IMF sponsored banks. If this is free-trade, then I want none of it. Third-world countries need industrial and technological assistance if they want to advance. This does not mean the North cuts the veins of their resources open in the name of free-trade, and I’m not saying free trade is horrible, but the free trade we practice like the democracy we practice is not true to form. If we truly want to practice free trade, then we need to implement the sharing of information and currency so everyone can live a better life and be able to trade equally, effectively and fairly. Unfortunately, I don’t see this happening under capitalism. Secondly, let’s remember trade, economics and government are about people globally not about Obama or the U.S. Trade brings us closer together and enculturates all peoples. Instead, the divisive and exploitative techniques used by corporations and their lobbyists are turning humans into cheap resources for labor. Don’t fear the government, make the government fear you!
 
Colin KirkThe Global Justice Movement