Kicking Down the Door
The new Oxfam report highlights the inequities in global trade policies and calls for meaningful attention to development issues in ongoing trade negotiations.
The US, along with other rich countries and international financial institutions, is pressuring developing countries to open their markets for rice and other basic foods, while maintaining heavy subsidies and protections for its own producers. From DR-CAFTA to the WTO negations, the US pushes a double-standard on developing countries. Forcing the opening of markets for rice and other basic commodities in developing countries can have disastrous effects on poor farmers. But the US continues to forge ahead irrespective of the consequences for development.