Seattle WTO Protests 10 Years Later -- What's Changed?

Ten years ago the World Trade Organization (WTO) met in Seattle at the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999 [1]. To this day, when talking about trade and protests, many just use a shorthand and say things along the lines of "since Seattle." Seattle made it clear that there are people who are very unhappy with "free trade" as practiced by those who favor what some call "corporatism."

In the decade since we have all become familiar with the "financial sector's" use of "free trade" pressures to outsource jobs, force factory closings, fleece customers, break unions and place pressure on American workers generally to accept wage cuts, increased hours, reduced benefits, poor working conditions and other policies that have created today's low-wage, everything-to-the-top economy.

The WTO meeting was held seven years after NAFTA took effect -- long enough that its effect on jobs, wages and working conditions was understood. At least 40,000 protesters showed up in Seattle. There were many peaceful rallies that took place with permits, with others engaging in direct action tactics of civil disobedience. Still others blocked streets, committed vandalism, and engaged in violence with the goal of forcing the meetings to be canceled. Some roamed around Seattle destroying property. Over 600 people were arrested. The meetings were canceled.

The Seattle protests had an effect on public perception. Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch [2], is quoted on this in In These Times, No ‘Turnaround’ in WTO 10 Years After Seattle Protests [3].

“The protests repudiated global conventional wisdom,” she says, “that Americans loved the American corporate model, which the U.S. was trying to foist on the world.”

The memory of the events contributed to the advance fear and extreme security in Pittsburgh at this summer's G20. As I wrote from Pittsburgh, the city was chosen to show how it is revitalized, but fear of protesters caused the city to overreact and clear everyone out. [4] were deserted [5]. The security was so extreme that there were anti-tank barriers (photos) [6] in front of buildings citywide. I wrote about the big Pittsburgh demonstration here, with photos [7].

The events in Seattle set back the WTO agenda. According to the In These Times story [3],

Its successor–the Doha Round–is so stalled that it isn’t even on the Geneva agenda, which will focus on “housekeeping." The agenda of expanded corporate rights and deregulation stalled not only because of protests and the unfamiliar assertiveness of developing countries, but also because it is ever more starkly out of touch with reality.

Twenty years ago this month the Berlin Wall fell. Ten years ago people took on the WTO. Last year capitalism stopped working.

Now we need to re-regulate and bring the financial sector back under control. We also need to develop a national economic/industrial strategy, laying out how we are going to reform the economy, create jobs, and bring the benefits of our economy to the regular people who are supposed to be running this country.

President Obama has pledged to start fixing trade imbalances to help American industry and workers. He has taken steps in this direction with the China Tire tariff [8] and the Steel Pipe tariff [9]. These are starts, but there is a long way to go down the road to balance.

And this week is Thanksgiving.