This week the Senate will likely vote to approve the Peru Free Trade agreement, an extension of NAFTA. The following article published on Grassroots Global Justice makes a strong case against free trade agreements:

It is clear that only a few are reaping the benefits of “free” trade agreements (FTAs). Over the past two decades FTAs have created a class of super-rich individuals and extremely powerful corporations. They have disrupted the culture and livelihoods of millions of people, forcing many to leave their homes, and driven many into severe poverty.

On a daily basis, the vast majority of people throughout the world are struggling to survive–to make a living from the land, to earn a livable wage, to protect our health and environment, to assure access to water, housing and basic services. The strategies used to deny us these basic human rights are embedded in FTAs.

In fact, there is nothing free about FTAs. Communities and nations are subjected to the will of multi-national corporations, who sack our natural and human resources, eliminate laws that make corporations accountable, and wrest authority from our governments to provide basic services. The vision of George W. Bush and other “free” traders is that private corporations own the seeds and the food that they create, water and the infrastructure that carries it, medicines and the hospitals that administer them. The ultimate goal is not to eliminate poverty, and promote global prosperity and well-being, but to make every aspect of our lives into a source of profit for corporations.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which many of us fought against in 1993, offers a clear example of the destructive power of FTAs:

When NAFTA took effect in 1994, the Mexican government eliminated price controls to many farmers, while at the same time removed its tariffs on imported corn. This forced Mexican farmers to compete on the global market with giant agricultural corporations based in the U.S. (which are the principal beneficiaries of current U.S. farm policy).

Millions of Mexican farmers were displaced, forcing them from the land and into low-wage sweatshops along the U.S.-Mexico border. By the beginning of this decade, many of these plants closed, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in the border region with a devastated economy and a poisoned environment.

Not surprisingly, migration to the United States has skyrocketed in the past 10 years, yet the response of the Bush administration and Congressional leaders in both major parties is to militarize the border, expand the repressive authority of the Homeland Security Administration and conduct a witch-hunt of immigrant workers throughout the U.S.

Now, many of the same irresponsible political leaders are pushing new FTAs with Peru, Colombia, Panama and South Korea. On October 12, George W. Bush declared: ”Now it is the time (sic) to move forward with these pro-growth, pro-democracy agreements.” Amazingly, however, As President Bill Clinton did in 1993, Democratic leaders like Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi are promoting the trade agreements despite wide-spread public opinion opposing them. In 2006, the Central American Free Trade Agreement passed the U.S. Congress by just one vote. Instead of building political momentum to stop these policies, Democratic leaders are siding with Bush to turn back the clock.

Tell your Senators to vote NO on the Peru free Trade Agreement.

For more background:
Read the letter to Congress from Peruvian Labor Unions.
Read the resolution from AFCSME Oregon.
Finally, this article provides historical background on Free Trade agreements.