During the previous round of talks, the imperialist countries eventually succeeded in extending their economic agenda from goods to “intellectual property” and services.

Under the Doha Round, the imperialists want to force oppressed countries to reverse any import taxes they’ve erected as a way to keep domestic markets stable and away from imperialist domination. They also want further “liberalization” of the trade in services. The imperialists also want to scale back any economic concessions they’ve granted to oppressed countries under previous trade deals.

For the oppressed nations participating in the talks, they mainly want the U.S. government and the E.U. to push back their massive agricultural subsidies that make it easy for cheap goods from imperialist countries to flood the markets of less developed national economies.

Opportunity and challenge

According to Prof. Jose Maria Sison, chairperson of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle, the collapse of the Doha talks presents both an opportunity and a challenge to workers. In a July 26 statement, Sison said:

“It is an opportunity to carry forward the struggle to undermine the WTO as a sweeping mechanism for imperialist ‘globalization’ and the ever greater exploitation of the world’s people and natural resources. The underdeveloped world has already suffered much from the past decade of the WTO with worsening poverty and unemployment as well as the degradation of its already backward agricultural and industrial sectors.

“Yet, there is also a challenge as the big powers will now more likely use its other means for advancing their plundering agenda,” warned Sison. These other means could be increased pressure through exploitative bilateral trade agreements or tactics like imposing economic sanctions, funding phony “opposition” groups, and carrying out all types of military intervention. The imperialist countries of the world, especially the United States, will not hesitate to make oppressed countries suffer who seek to remain independent of their dictates. Take the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan as examples.

As long as the capitalist class and its government managers decide what will be done with the world’s resources and who will dictate global trade relations, working and oppressed people’s needs will never be met. The only way to bring an end to further exploitation is by organizing a resistance movement with both national and international dimensions that is defined and guided by the desires and needs of the masses of working people.

Posted by Bulatlat

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