Thousands of concerned citizens spent the weekend in Seattle arming themselves with the weapon most likely to derail the corporate-driven free trade agenda: knowledge of the WTO and its impacts on nature, workers, food security, human rights, and democracy.

More than 2500 people packed into Seattle's Benaroya Symphony Hall Nov. 26-28 for the sold-out teach-in, which featured some of the world's leading critics of economic globalization and the WTO. The event, sponsored by the San Francisco-based International Forum on Globalization, sets the stage for what speaker Susan George of France's Transnational Institute dubbed "the battle of Seattle."

"It's just as much a historical turning point as any battle in the history of this country or any other," said George.

Among the dozens of teach-in speakers were Indian physicist and activist Vandana Shiva, John Cavanagh of the U.S.-based Institute for Policy Studies, economist Martin Khor of Malaysia-based Third World Network, Lori Wallach of U.S.-based Public Citizen, and Walden Bello of Focus on the Global South in Thailand.

Describing the creation of the trade organization as "the mother of all backroom deals," IFG president Jerry Mander called for no expansion of the WTO, no millenium round, and a full and comprehensive reassessment of the WTO process. The global economic system, he said, "is undertaking the greatest transfer of economic and political power in history away from communities and nation states and into the hands of a small number of global corporations."

Khor, who has been monitoring the negotiations in Geneva, described the growing dissent among trade representatives from developing countries and the breakdown in preparations for the ministerial. As a result, delegates failed to agree on a ministerial agenda for Seattle. "The ministers have nothing in front of them, they have nothing to sign," he said.

Maude Barlow of the Council of Canadians, who led the fight to derail the controversial Multilateral Agreement of Investments, warned of the growing global water shortage. Rather than address this issue, governments are signing on to agreements like WTO and NAFTA that open up water systems to privatization and corporate exploitation.

"Water must be exempted from NAFTA and the World Trade Organization, and I might add so must the trade in genes, seeds, air, health, education, social services, natural resources and culture," Barlow said.

At a session on alternatives, speakers called for an agenda that would replace the WTO with a set of rules and institutions that promote democracy, ecological sustainability, localization, economic human rights and cultural and biological diversity.

Colin Hines, co-author of The New Protectionism, said he is tired of hearing free trade advocates say that economic globalization is like "riding a bike" - i.e., if you slow down, you will fall off.

"These clowns have been in limos for so many years, they forget that all you have to do to stop a bike is put your foot down."

Amber McIntyre, who came from British Columbia to attend the teach-in, said she found the event empowering. "Of all the actions and protests I've gone to I feel most like I'm part of a movement that has power and steam," she said. "I'm hearing about positive, alternative solutions."

Dan Zoll & Karen Levy

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