TOES Town sees trade as a relationship with the rest of the world. Folks like being able to buy colorful clothes from Central America and Mexico and foods they can't grow locally. They also realize an economic diversification by production for export. What they don't believe in is shafting trading partners for advantage, exploitation of far away peoples and ecosystems as a means by which to control foreign economies through trade deals, or subsidies such as to transportation, or the externalization of social and environmental costs that make imported goods cheaper than goods produced locally. TOES Town is self-reliant to the extent that it can do for itself and create a diverse economy in the process. Producing locally keeps jobs locally. It is not isolationist, a term used by the corporate interests that benefit from trade at any cost to disparage people who would rather do for themselves than be totally dependent on the whims of their multinational corporations.
U.S.
Economic and Trade Policy
What they're up to... The Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs
(EB) at the U.S. Department of State formulates and carries out U.S.
foreign economic policy in cooperation with U.S. companies, other
U.S. Government agencies in Washington and U.S. Embassies abroad.
Multinational
Monitor On-Line
This magazine, published by the Center for Responsive Law, sets the
standard for aggressive and thorough reporting on international trade
and its social consequences. From a recent editorial: "WE "DON'T WORK
FOR" consumers in Argentina or Africa, and we "don't care" about
public health issues there. That was how Joseph Papovich, deputy
assistant U.S. Trade Representative for intellectual property,
responded to a suggestion in July from a group of consumer activists
that the U.S. Trade Representatives should treat patent policy for
pharmaceuticals as a public health issue. Unfortunately, U.S. Trade
Representative-designate Charlene Barshefsky demonstrated in January
that Papovich's cruel and callous comment reflects official policy.
On January 15, Barshefsky announced that the Clinton administration
will impose sanctions on $260 million of Argentine imports as
punishment for Argentina's policy on protection of health
registration data.
Inst. for Agriculture and
Trade Policy
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) was established
in 1986 as a nonprofit and tax exempt research and education
organization. Our mission is to create environmentally and
economically sustainable communities and regions through sound
agriculture and trade policy. The Institute assists public interest
organizations in effectively influencing both domestic and
international policymaking through the following activities: Check it
out. This group provided an essential dynamic necessary for the near
success in defeating NAFTA.
The Green
Disk: A Journal of Contemporary Environmental Issues
Perhaps not the first place to look for Gren disk, under Trade, but
it exposes the environmental issues of trade like few periodicals.
Published every two months on a computer disk in IBM and Macintosh
formats, The Green Disk is a journal of contemporary environmental
issues used by educators, journalists, activists and professionals
all over the world. Each issue is a compendium of resources on one
environmental issue such as the Decline of Global Fisheries,
Environmental Building & Design, and our review issue the
Depletion of the Ozone Layer, which you can download or browse here.
In addition to the research papers, bibliographies, articles and
resources related to the issue topic, sections covering a broad range
of environmental subjects include: current news; an index of
periodicals; publication and other media release announcements; job
listings; a calendar and much more.
ILSR and Newspaper Columns
by David Morris
The following is a selection of David Morris' most recent
columns:
March 11, 1996:NAFTA: A Clear Failure of Public Policy
December 19,1995: Global Warming is Real. What Will We Do About
It?
August 29, 1995: The Republican War Against Workers
May 9, 1995: Here Comes Hemp
April 25, 1995: When Corporations Rule the World
March 28, 1995: The People vs. Corporate Farming