for anyone not familiar-- Le Monde Diplomatique has some of the most
insightful and original writing on telecommunications (and other subjects)
available anywhere... a very useful antidote to the NYTimes\\Economist
anglophonic hegemonds...
Mikeg
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 19:05:21 +0000
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: Philippe Riviere <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Le Monde diplomatique - march 1998
Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Precedence: bulk
Dear MAI-notters,
I apologize for the push, but I think you might be interested by severa
of our latest articles. Some of the articles below are available only
upon subscription. The freely available articles are marked with
a star (*).
-- Philippe
LE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUE
_________________________________________________________________
Le Monde diplomatique
english edition
March 1998
edited by Wendy Kristianasen
[Iraq file and Africa articles cut out]
THE DANGERS OF THE MULTILATERAL AGREEMENT ON INVESTMENT
Wielding power behind the scenes *
The cat is out of the bag and the world now knows just how
unbalanced are the proposals coming out of the current OECD
negotiations. The nature of this international organisation, which
is devoted to free market principles, explains why the MAI has been
conceived there.
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/en/1998/03/07mai1.html
Translated by Julie Stoker
Shackling the state *
by Nuri Albala
If signed, the current MAI proposals would form a benchmark for the
global investment economy, taking precedence over most existing
national obligations and agreements. The multinational corporations
would be given powerful ammunition against sovereign states and the
legal means to enforce their new "rights". It is a dynamic
agreement which would ultimately "rollback" all national laws which
did not conform.
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/en/1998/03/08maialba.html
Translated by Julie Stoker
Is this the end of copyright?
by Jack Ralite
The need to defend the principles of copyright has never been more
important, since the twin pincers of the MAI proposals and a recent
EU Commission Green Paper on "convergence" would together result in
the separation of authors from their works. Unless stopped,
copyright works will be turned into commodities and investments,
and current European protection mechanisms will be sacrificed to
the corporate gods of America.
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/inside/1998/03/09maira.html
Translated by Barbara Wilson
TECHNICAL ADVANCE, IDEOLOGICAL PROJECT
Selling off a heritage *
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/en/1998/03/13telecom.html
Towards a worldwide communications oligopoly?
by Pierre Musso
Technological change, followed by deregulation, has changed the
face of global telecommunications and new corporate players have
moved in. In many cases, it is the same US companies but in new
combinations and international alliances. The break-up of ATT and
privatisation of BT stimulated the process which is still far from
stable, as recent attempted or successful mergers have shown.
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/inside/1998/03/14telemus.html
Translated by Ed Emery
Convergence, European style
by Serge Regourd
Deregulation of the telecommunications, media and information
technology sectors is the guiding principle of the EU Commission's
Green Paper on "convergence". Globalisation is assumed to be
positive and there are alarming parallels with the MAI proposals.
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/inside/1998/03/15telereg.html
Translated by Barbara Wilson
FREE ZONES BUT FEW RIGHTS
Central American workers in the hands of the maquilas
by Maurice Lemoine
The maquilas are factories working under contract to foreign firms,
designed to manufacture exports at minimum cost. They first
appeared in Mexico in the 1960s and are now proliferating in
Central America's free zones as part of the move to relocate from
the North and create jobs in the South. But this is far from
utopia. Trade unions are gagged and workers' rights are violated on
a grand scale. Employers are free to impose a 70-hour week (or
longer) on a largely female workforce. And pay them starvation
wages.
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/inside/1998/03/16zonesla.html
Translated by Malcolm Greenwood
The Turkish model *
by Emine Usakligil
Turkey has nine free zones: three in Istanbul and six in different
cities in Anatolia. Mersin was the first of these and is also the
most productive. With the volume of trade increasing by an average
of 50% a year, the free zones are an economic success story.
Workers enjoy similar social security to their counterparts outside
but, as companies pay no taxes, wage are often higher.
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/en/1998/03/17zonestk.html
Translated by Malcolm Greenwood
(*) Star-marked articles are available to every reader. Other
articles ar available to paid subscribers only.
Yearly subscription fee: 24 US $ (Institutions 48 US $).
______________________________________________________________
For more information on our English edition, please visit
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/en/
To subscribe to our free "dispatch" mailing-list, send an
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-- Philippe Riviere <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Le Monde diplomatique http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/
21b, rue Claude-Bernard 75005 Paris tel: 33 1 42 17 37 46
Le Monde diplomatique en anglais: http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/en/
--
For MAI-not subscription information, posting guidelines and
links to other MAI sites please see http://mai.flora.org/
Bob Olsen Toronto [EMAIL PROTECTED] (:-)
