Road map leads to free trade zone

by Hans Lebrecht

Just after the dramatically-performed "road map" proclamations, more blood 
was spilled than in any other week during the past 30 months of the 
Palestinian Intifada uprising against the Israeli military occupation. This 
increased bloodshed from the Israeli military and terrorist actions, plus 
the motives of Sharon's government and their "greater-Israel" policies, 
have called into question the legitimacy of the road map.

Astonishingly, what has been almost the entirely left out of the road map 
equation is George W Bush's message, calling for the establishment of a US-
Middle East "Free Trade Zone." This zone would be dominated by US monopoly 
corporations, and set-up to oust the European Union, particularly Germany 
and France, from their current position of being the main trading partners 
in the region. Bush's real aim is to strengthen the "New World Order" 
globalisation policy in the interests of the leading capitalist power and 
its big corporations.

According to the Agence France-Presse, Bush's "move to end the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict is part of a wider policy to redraw the political map 
of the Middle East after the US victory in Iraq and his war on terrorism."

In addition to moving toward a regional free-trade area, similar to one 
contemplated for Central and South America, the US would also lobby on 
behalf of some Middle Eastern countries that want to join the World Trade 
Organisation, according to CNN.

Although Bush's words about "free trade" bringing peace and democracy to 
the region sound nice, the reality faced by many workers around the world 
is that "free trade" means more exploitation, war and insecurity with the 
erosion of wages, jobs, workers rights and environmental protection.

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Terry Albano contributed to this article.

People's Weekly World

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