The term “free trade” is a lie, since it implies that it is only about buying and selling (trade) without hindrance (free). Actually, free trade agreements (FTAs) are a mask to cover exploitative relationships imposed by the more powerful economies on the less powerful — i.e., imperialism. Take, for example, the “United States–Dominican Republic–Central America Free Trade Agreement” (CAFTA-DR). This treaty, like other FTAs, contains malignant elements that are hidden under the benign-sounding title. 

CAFTA-DR prohibits any Central American country from opposing an attempt by a U.S. business to set up a subsidiary within its borders, so long as the business meets certain requirements. And if a member country objects that those requirements have not, in fact, been met, that country can be sued by the U.S. business at the World Bank. In 1965 the World Bank set up its International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) for just that purpose, with the participation of almost 150 countries from around the world.

Thus Pacific Rim, a mining company, has staked a claim in El Salvador to extract gold. The company claims that its plan will preserve the environment, including the nearby river Rio Lempa. Rio Lempa is the source of livelihood for many Salvadorans, through farming and fishing. The workers in these industries have been fighting against Pacific Rim for some time now, knowing full well that the many poisonous chemicals used in mining will pollute and destroy their river. Indeed the workers have formed organizations and put so much pressure on the Salvadoran government that so far it has refused Pacific Rim’s permit to mine the gold. As a result of their resistance, a number of workers in these organizations have been threatened with death or actually murdered.

Under capitalism the laws are designed to protect the bosses and their system. Thus, Pacific Rim and the U.S.-based Commerce Group are suing the El Salvadoran government in the ICSID for lost profit.

Commerce Group has already polluted the San Sebastian River with aluminum, zinc, iron, manganese, and nickel, among other toxic metals. One study found that these toxic elements produce weakness, fatigue, rashes, and mental confusion in 60% of the local population, with women and children most affected.

But Pacific Rim and Commerce Group are not in business to care about the health of the local working classes. Rather they are in business for one thing only — profit — and health problems are not their concern.

Furthermore the rules of the ICSID do not even permit it to consider environmental or health problems, but rather only narrowly defined investment issues. It is likely therefore that it will grant Pacific Rim and Commerce Group the $100 million they each seek from the Salvadoran government, as compensation for their lost profits. Thus does imperialism illustrate the power of the strong over the weak, but only when the weak fight by themselves, separated from the rest of the world’s working class. When workers around the world unite in one powerful force under the leadership of PLP, such struggles can not only be won, but can be transformed into revolution by putting a complete end to capitalism and its current manifestation of imperialism. Join us.

PARIS, September 16 — As in most Western “democracies,” French capitalists are using new technologies to reinforce the state’s police powers. The latest step is the organization of a Justice Ministry “national platform for court-ordered wiretaps,” to become operational this fall.

This 42-million-euro (53 million USD) centralized computer system will collect, manage and store massive amounts of information: who owns which cell phone, calls made and received, SMSes and e-mails, Internet pages that have been visited, on-line purchases and GPS information. Presently this information is scattered among 350 different police and gendarme stations and is managed by five or six different private companies.

Work on the new centralized system began in 2006 in utter secrecy. It has been classified “Top Secret — Defense.” The National Commission on IT and Liberty — which normally must be consulted whenever such a system is created — has been shut out. No watchdog agency (even though such things are just window-dressing) has been set up.

The computer programs used to spy on the French will be the same ones that the Amesys company sold to dictator Muammar Khadafy to spy on Libyans. The computers will be housed on the premises of the Thales company, which won the contract to manage the system.

The bosses are establishing this creeping police state to enable them to move swiftly to crush any rebellion against future imperialist wars or against massive unemployment (see adjoining article).

PARIS, September 28 — The phony expression “anti-white racism” has been getting endless media play in France following its use by Jean-François Copé, the general secretary of the right-wing UMP party. Copé is a candidate in the November election to choose a new president for the party. His rival, former Prime Minister François Fillon, hastened to say that anti-white racism is “a reality.”

By using an expression first circulated by Marine Le Pen, the leader of the fascist National Front party, both Copé and Fillon are currying favor with the far-right element in their party. But this is more than just a ploy in an internal party dogfight. First, it shows that the UMP is moving closer to an alliance with the National Front, making an openly fascist government here a real possibility.

Secondly, Socialist Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has chimed in, saying that “anti-white racism could exist” but that Copé should have been more careful using the expression. Ever since, the media has “debated” whether discussion of “anti-white racism” is politically correct.

The sterility of the media debate contrasts sharply with a comment posted by Mohamed on the Nouvel Observateur magazine website. Does “anti-white racism,” he asks, “lead to discrimination at school, unmotivated police ID checks and a hard time finding a job?” Mohamed says, “Copé is trying to advance racial solidarity (of ‘whites’) to attempt to overshadow class solidarity (of people on the minimum wage) who, in my humble opinion, are more and more aware that they are in the same boat, no matter what color their skin is.”

To understand why the bosses’ politicians and media are whipping up racism, check out the French unemployment figures: over 5 million people are jobless (counting part-timers who want to work full-time) — 16.8% of the active population.

In addition, the Socialist-Green Party governing coalition is about to push approval of the European Budget Pact through the French Parliament, imposing “the golden rule” of no government budget deficit. This will lead to more austerity: higher taxes and fewer government services. It will force the working class to pay for the capitalist economic crisis.

To head off an explosion of class struggle against that oppression, the bosses need to persuade “whites” that their enemies are people of Arab and Middle-Eastern origin (10.2% of the population) and black people from Africa and the Caribbean (3.6%). But communists point to racism as the bosses’ trump card, to reap super-profits from the resulting lower wages and to divide the working class, weakening its ability to fight the bosses’ exploitation.

PARIS, September 30 — Up to 80,000 demonstrators from across France marched here today, shouting “Resistance!” as they protested the European budget treaty forcing the French government to impose austerity measures. 

Workers were outraged at the attacks on their class. Many of the demonstrators were activists from trade unions, associations and political organizations.  “Hollande [Socialist Party president] promised to renegotiate the Merkozy treaty but not a comma has been changed,” said Jordi, a 26-year-old computer technician. [“Merkozy” is a combination of German Chancellor Merkel and former French president Sarkozy, the politicians who drafted the treaty]. The treaty is likely to “anchor austerity in all the countries of Europe,” he added.

Jean-Claude, a 70-year-old retired food processing worker, said “this treaty is going to make people into paupers.” 

Christine, a 58-year-old high school teacher, said, “With the adoption of the golden rule, austerity budgets are going to be voted year after year…. France is going to wind up resembling Spain or Greece.”

Many women marched behind a banner reading, “Women in struggle against austerity, for steady jobs and for solidarity in Europe.”

About 50 workers from the Fralib factory near Marseilles marched. “We are here above all to demonstrate against the European treaty, to say that we don’t agree with this treaty invented by Sarkozy and Merkel,” said the union secretary of the company works council. [See CHALLENGE, 2/2/2011, page 5, for the Fralib workers’ struggle].

The austerity falls most heavily on the Arab and black North African immigrant workers who, because of racism, suffer the lowest wages, highest unemployment and worst working conditions.

The demonstration was called by the Front de Gauche, mainly an alliance of the Left Party and the phony “Communist” Party. Nearly 60 other organizations also supported it but the governing Socialist Party and its junior partner Green Party did not.

The Front de Gauche presidential candidate, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, insisted the demonstration was against austerity policies but not against the Socialist Party and the Greens. Although the leadership of the CGT trade union confederation did not call for participation in the action, many rank-and-file CGT members participated. 

The governing Socialist Party, which paraded as the “opposition” to right-winger Sarkozy, is no opponent of the French ruling class but is in opposition to the class interests of the working class. Workers needs a real communist party to oppose all wings of the ruling class, and have the goal of a communist revolution, the only solution to the austerity-driven poverty and exploitation built into capitalism.