 |
 |
Get
Updates |
With Rambo wannabe, rock-throwing anti-globalization
protesters getting ready to head over to the G-8 summit in
western Canada's Kananaskis resort next month, they may want to
consider a new poster boy for their movement: US President
George W. Bush. Judging by his recent actions, it
looks like Bush could very well end up spending his first few
hours at the next G-8 meeting suffering a major identity
crisis--trying to decide whether he should be at the table, or
outside chucking rocks at the building and chanting, "Hey,
hey. Ho, ho. The WTO has got to go!"
When Bush came to power, it was assumed that he would naturally
be a proponent of globalization and free trade. After
all, his father played a key role--along with Bush Sr. pal,
former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney--in the
development and implementation of the Canada-US Free Trade
Agreement. It seemed safe to assume that the leaf
wouldn't fall far from the, uh, Bush.
At a United Nations conference in Mexico earlier this year, Bush
sandwiched himself between Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
and Mexican President Vincente Fox--the "Three
Amigos", as they apparently call themselves--as he went on
about how much he values North American free trade. At
exactly the same moment, his henchmen in Washington were inking
a deal that would slap a 29-per-cent tariff on Canadian softwood
lumber. The tariff was finally implemented last week,
but the move has already cost Canadians tens of thousands of
jobs, and has crippled one of Canada's biggest industries. The
spin-off effect will eventually ripple through the entire
Canadian economy.
It's not that Bush didn't have ample opportunity to step up to
the plate and hammer home an anti-protectionist message between
the time the deal was drawn up and the day it was actually
implemented. It would have been the perfect chance to
explain to the American lumber industry, the US Department of
Commerce, and their allies in Congress and the Senate that in a
free-trade, free-market economy, there is no place for blatant
protectionism. But, since he did nothing of the sort,
one can only assume that winning seats in the upcoming
Congressional election is more important to the President than
actively defending his stance on free trade.
Even more recently, Bush has tossed US farmers a $180-billion
pre-election bone. The gift has enormous implications
for farmers and taxpayers throughout the world. Calls
are already mounting for governments of other countries to
subsidize their own farmers so that they can compete with what
the Americans have promised to spend. So much for
free trade and globalization.
In March, Bush announced a decision to impose a tariff of up to
30 per-cent on steel imports. The key steel producers
affected are Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Russia, Ukraine,
Germany and Brazil, plus smaller makers like Sweden and
Australia. EU Trade Commissioner, Pascal Lamy, claims
that, "the US decision to go down the route of
protectionism is a major setback for the world trading
system." Indeed, if one is to believe what Bush
is constantly saying about how much he values free trade, it
would seem that our dear Texas gunslinger rather enjoys
unloading a few rounds into his own cowboy boots from time to
time.
In late June, when the leaders of the world's top eight
industrial nations meet in Kananaskis, the two issues at the top
of their agenda are global economic growth and the fight against
terrorism. What Bush needs to realize is that it is
only in strengthening the former that he could we could ever
hope of succeeding with the latter. Breaking down
trade barriers between countries leads to more wealth, fewer
victims, and less opportunity for terrorism to take hold and
thrive.
Screwing over America's allies in the fight against terrorism by
forcing them to contend with economy-crippling tariffs, isn't a
very wise move. We Canadians are proud to stand
shoulder-to-shoulder on the battlefield with our American
brother and sisters. And even when your
"dumb" pilot inadvertently dropped a 500-pound
"smart" bomb on some of our soldiers in Afghanistan,
we bit our tongues. After all, it was an
accident--the friendliest of "friendly fire". We
don't like it, but we get it. What we don't get,
however, is how we're supposed to deal with an unpredictable
Bush who appears to suffer from trade policy schizophrenia. There's
nothing "friendly" or "accidental" about
imposing punishing tariffs on your closest friend and ally.
|
Shop PUSA
Modern Sex :
Liberation and Its Discontents
by Myron Magnet (Editor)
The Case for Marriage: Why
Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better Off
Financially
by Linda J. Waite and Maggie Gallagher
Scan your PC for viruses now!
Magazine of the Month
Shakedown
: Exposing the Real Jesse Jackson
by Kenneth R. Timmerman
DVD's Under $10 at buy.com!
Cigar.com
The Rehnquist
Choice: The Untold Story of the Nixon Appointment That Redefined
the Supreme Court
by John W. Dean
Leather -
Sale (30 to 50% off)
Shop for Your Princess at DisneyStore.com 
Search
the Web for:
Death Penalty
Ronald
Reagan
Middle
East
MP3
Web Music
George
W. Bush
Saddam Hussein
Online Gambling
Auto Loans
Free Online Games
NFL
Nascar
Britney Spears
|
