On November 16-21, trade representatives for the governments of the entire Western Hemisphere, except Cuba, will meet at the 4th Summit of the Americas in Miami, Florida to finalize the most comprehensive trade and investment treaty in the world -- the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).

Modeled after NAFTA, the FTAA will encompass a population of over 800 million people and a combined national product of U.S. $11 trillion. The agreement will promote minimal controls on big business; allow unrestricted foreign investment and export of profits; acclerate the privatization of public assets, utilities and services; and push privately financed development schemes based on deregulated markets. Summit organizers also seek to incorporate broad new rules from the World Trade Organization, making the FTAA far more powerful in reach -- with devastating consequences for labor, the environment, and indigenous communities throughout the Americas.

The FTAA summit will be met by massive protests - including rallies, a mass march , and direct actions aimed at bringing the summit to a halt. Activists have created a convergence space, a Free Carnival Area of the Americas, and working groups for food, housing, medical and legal support for the tens of thousands expected to converge in Miami. In an effort to squelch dissent, city, state and federal authorities unleashed a campaign of intimidation and harrassment last week against FTAA protesters, including the pre-emptive arrests of two medics in town to help with medical logistics. One of the medics detained by Miami-Dade county police was from Chicago.

Breaking News from Miami: FTAA-IMC

FTAA Resistance Radio and FRAA - Free Radio Area of the Americas: Listen to the stream

Mobilizing Against the FTAA - Related Links:
Midwest Unrest | Stop the FTAA | FTAA Resistance | Free Carnival Area of the Americas | People's Consultation on the FTAA | Alianza Social Continental (Hemispheric Social Alliance) | RANT Trainers Collective | Florida Fair Trade Coalition | Citizens Trade Campaign | Global Exchange | Public Citizen | Jobs With Justice