why do poor countries pursue WTO membership and enter similar agreements?
It seems pretty obvious that they’re the losers of the neoliberal project, but they appear to be eager to participate nonetheless. We have to be careful about who we mean by “they”: the government or the people. Often in poor countries democracy is weak and corruption is rampant. Not that it never happens in rich democracies, but it takes different forms and is typically less systemic. Perhaps just less obvious. But I’m thinking of countries like Indonesia. The government was synonymous with huge business interests. In fact, the Suhartos and their friends owned them. So some governments of developing nations want access to the big markets. But I understand your point. It’s as if they’re brainwashed. Each one must think they will be the exception to the rule. Please comment on the role of the WTO, NAFTA, Mercosur, etc. Is the notion of “free trade agreements” used by the mainstream media accurate? Or do they implement — as Chomsky says — a new kind of carefully controlled mercantilist
