by Heather Wokusch
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Heather Wokusch
July 4, 2013
Heather Wokusch Jul 3, 2013
From the NSA leaks and revelations about widespread surveillance to massive trade agreements being negotiated out of the public eye… government secrecy is an important topic. This ‘rant’ provides background and interesting connections not found in mainstream media.
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Here are links for the most recent youtube video:
CIA’s Plan to Crush Leaks Gets Leaked
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/06/27-1
Former NSA, CIA director: “The United States does conduct espionage”
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3460_162-57591682/former-nsa-cia-director-the-united-states-does-conduct-espionage/
Ecuador backing for Snowden spurs criticism of Correa media law
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/27/us-usa-security-ecuador-idUSBRE95Q1BC20130627
So when will Dick Cheney be charged with espionage? His crime was the same as Snowden’s
http://www.juancole.com/2013/06/charged-espionage-snowdens.html
CNN exclusive: George W. Bush on AIDS, Mandela, Snowden and his legacy
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/01/politics/bush-interview/index.html
Obama Has Charged More Under Espionage Act Than All Other Presidents Combined
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/06/22/edward_snowden_is_eighth_person_obama_has_pursued_under_espionage_act.html
Obama’s crackdown views leaks as aiding enemies of U.S.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/06/20/194513/obamas-crackdown-views-leaks-as.html#.UdWmnHeD9kE
Take A Break From The Snowden Drama For A Reminder Of What He’s Revealed So Far
http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/06/25/take-a-break-from-the-snowden-drama-for-a-reminder-of-what-hes-revealed-so-far/
The Dangers of Surveillance
http://www.harvardlawreview.org/issues/126/may13/Symposium_9477.php
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement
http://tppinfo.org/
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/ttip/
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[DS added the White House Fact Sheets.]
Propaganda Alert!
FACT SHEET: U.S. – Peru Economic Relations
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
June 11, 2013
The United States and Peru share a strong commitment to expanding economic growth, job creation and inclusion through integration into global markets. Our close cooperation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiation and our high standard United States – Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (the Agreement) are recent examples of efforts to strengthen trade and investment ties bilaterally and to expand economic links between the Americas and growing markets of the Pacific Rim. Additionally, Peru is a partner in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and the Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas initiative.
Leaders in the Trans-Pacific Partnership
The United States and Peru are two of the original members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). TPP is a comprehensive, high-standard, 21st century trade agreement that will increase exports and jobs in both the United States and Peru, and address the issues that U.S. and Peruvian businesses and workers are facing in the 21st century. The United States and Peru have worked closely and constructively as partners in the TPP negotiation, cooperating to open markets and deepen economic ties across the Pacific.
The TPP, one of the highest trade priorities for President Obama’s second term, is central to the U.S. – Peru economic partnership. The TPP currently includes 11 countries, and with the upcoming entry of Japan (following completion of each TPP member’s domestic procedures), TPP members will represent nearly 40 percent of global GDP. The TPP members made significant progress at the 17th negotiating round, hosted by Peru in Lima in May, and the negotiations are on an accelerated track toward concluding in the 2013 timeframe envisioned by President Obama, President Humala and the leaders of the other TPP member countries. The next round of negotiations is set for July 15-25, in Malaysia.
A Key Bilateral Trading Partner
February 1, 2013 marked the four year anniversary of the Agreement’s entry into force. In 2012, two-way trade in goods between the United States and Peru was $15.8 billion, and the outlook for future growth is positive. In the past three years, U.S. exports to Peru have increased by 90 percent, while U.S. imports from Peru have increased by 52 percent. According to Peruvian trade statistics, Peru experienced a 10 percent increase in non-traditional exports to the United States last year.
The United States is Peru’s second largest export market and primary supplier of imports; Peru was the United States’ 32nd largest goods export market in 2012, up from 36th in 2009.
The United States and Peru are committed to frequent engagement under the Agreement in order to ensure its benefits are fully realized. During the week of June 3, four committees established under the Agreement convened in Washington, DC for annual meetings. The committees included the Standing Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, the Environmental Affairs Council, the Environmental Cooperation Commission and the Free Trade Commission. The Joint Statement from the Free Trade Commission meeting can be found here.
Environmental Achievements under the Trade Promotion Agreement
The Environment Chapter of the Agreement is the most comprehensive and ambitious of any U.S. trade agreement to date, and includes a groundbreaking Forest Sector Governance Annex aimed at combatting illegal logging and illegal wildlife trade. In order to comply with its commitments under the agreement, Peru has made enormous strides in implementing institutional changes and legal and regulatory reforms, including the creation of a Ministry of Environment and increased criminal penalties for environmental crimes.
The United States and Peru collaborate closely on implementation of the environmental obligations in the Agreement to ensure that increased trade does not occur at the expense of the environment. Through environmental cooperation programs, the United States and Peru have made significant progress to strengthen institutional capacity in Peru, improve Peru’s forest sector governance, and promote public participation in the environmental decision-making process. The United States is committed to continuing this close partnership to achieve further environmental benefits.
Peru Joins U.S. – Created WTO Standards Alliance to Collaborate on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)
Peru is the first country in Latin America to be accepted into the WTO Standards Alliance program launched by the United States in November 2012. Peru will benefit from the program by having access to specialized training regarding the WTO TBT Agreement; by receiving orientation for Peruvian officials regarding standardization, regulatory and metrology systems; and by obtaining specialized assistance in evaluating Peruvian regulatory agencies’ compliance with the TBT Agreement. As of November 2013, Peru will be able to continue to work with the Standards Alliance through a partnership with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for a period of at least five years.
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Propaganda Alert!
FACT SHEET: U.S.-Chile Economic Relations
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
June 4, 2013
The United States and Chile share a strong commitment to expanding economic growth and job creation through integration into global markets. Our bilateral Free Trade Agreement and joint work to form the Trans-Pacific Partnership are recent examples of efforts to strengthen trade and investment ties bilaterally and to expand economic links between the Americas and growing markets of the Pacific Rim. In addition, Chile is a partner in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, and Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas initiative.
A Key FTA Partner
Since the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement (FTA) entered into force in 2004, bilateral merchandise trade has grown by 340 percent. While U.S. exports to the world increased 113 percent between 2003 and 2012, U.S. exports to Chile increased by nearly 600 percent ($16.2 billion), growing from $2.7 billion in 2003 to $18.9 billion in 2012. Chile’s exporters also saw increases between 2003 and 2012; U.S. imports from Chile grew from $3.7 billion in 2003 to $9.4 billion in 2012, an increase of 153 percent.
The United States is Chile’s second largest export market and primary supplier of imports, and Chile has risen from the 35th largest market for U.S. exports in 2003 to the 19th largest market in 2012. Additionally, between 2003 and 2011, U.S. exports of private commercial services to Chile grew 193 percent and U.S. imports of Chilean private commercial services grew by 98 percent.
U.S. small and medium–sized Enterprises (SMEs) are an important part of the U.S.-Chile trade relationship. As of 2011, 13,121 SMEs exported to Chile, representing 88 percent of all U.S. companies exporting to the Chilean market. These SMEs exported $5.7 billion in merchandise to Chile in 2011.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership
The United States and Chile, together with nine other nations, are actively engaged in the negotiation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a high-standard trade agreement that will address the issues that U.S. and Chilean businesses and workers are facing in the 21st century.
The TPP is one of the highest trade priorities of President Obama’s second term, and is central to the U.S.-Chile partnership. After 17 rounds (the most recent held in Lima, Peru) the 11 member countries have made significant progress and the negotiations are on an accelerated track toward concluding in the 2013 timeframe envisioned by President Obama, President Piñera and the leaders of the ten other TPP member countries. The next round of negotiations is set for July 15-25, 2013.
Collaboration in Energy Creating Jobs and Economic Growth
The United States and Chile are working together to promote lower carbon economic growth, expand cooperation on clean energy, and regional electrical interconnection throughout the Andean region through two Summit of the Americas initiatives, the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas and Connecting the Americas 2022.
Presidents Obama and Piñera launched the U.S.-Chile Energy Business Council in Santiago in March 2011. Key objectives of the U.S. Chile Energy Business Council include clean energy development, identification of business and investment opportunities, energy infrastructure, and natural disaster preparedness.
As the world’s leading copper producer and a country with a rapidly growing economy, Chile must meet an estimated 6-7% annual growth of energy demand between now and 2020. In March 2012, the Chilean Government announced its National Energy Strategy: 2012-2030, a robust plan to meet rising energy demand and promote the deployment of cost-effective, sustainable energy technologies. The plan reaffirmed the Government’s goal to obtain 10% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2024 and laid out six key pillars of energy policy. In April 2013, Assistant Secretary of Commerce Nicole Lamb-Hale led 16 renewable energy and energy efficiency companies on a trade mission to Chile. The mission deepened Chilean knowledge of U.S. partnership opportunities in the sector, shared best practices, and discussed strategies to reduce barriers to market entry.
The United States is committed to working with Chile to meet its needs for access to energy, enhance the role of renewables, and facilitate continued economic growth.
see
Trade Secrets – Draft EU Documents Reveal Trade Agenda With U.S. by Karen Hansen-Kuhn (TTIP)
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