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geopolitics

Malaysia: Iran deal clouds free trade plans with US
7-Feb-2007 IPS
A free trade agreement (FTA) between the United States and Malaysia, in its final round this week, has run into opposition from trade unions and also from U.S. lawmakers opposed to an energy deal struck between this country and Iran.
Senior US official dashes FTA hopes
7-Feb-2007 Taipei Times
A senior US trade official on Tuesday dashed Taiwan’s hopes that Washington could enter into negotiations on a US-Taiwan Free Trade Agreement (FTA) anytime soon, and said that Taiwan would have to gain strong support from the US business sector and Congress before an FTA could ever be considered.
US targets Malaysia in drive to sign Muslim countries to free trade agreement
4-Feb-2007 Media Monitors Network
FTAs are increasingly being regarded by many countries as Washington’s economic analogue of a nuclear bomb.
Malaysia threatens to halt FTA talks with US after call to scrap Iran deal: report
2-Feb-2007 IHT
Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz told Washington to stay out of Malaysia’s affairs and warned the government will not bow to any threats, the Malay-language Utusan Malaysia reported. "I am ready to advise the government to cancel the FTA discussions immediately," she was quoted as saying.
US asked to suspend free trade talks with Malaysia over Iran deal
1-Feb-2007 Channel News Asia
A key US lawmaker on Wednesday called on the administration of President George W Bush to suspend free trade talks with Malaysia in protest over its mega energy deal with Iran.
Chavez, Morales, Correa bypass US in deals with Iran, China
30-Jan-2007 Bloomberg
Presidents including Ecuador’s Rafael Correa, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Bolivia’s Evo Morales are bypassing the US in reaching trade accords and strengthening diplomatic and commercial ties with nations that compete with, or are hostile toward, US interests.
China vs Japan: FTAs, oil and Taiwan
27-Jan-2007 bulatlat
China and Japan are locked in a rivalry over at least three flashpoints: Free trade agreements, particularly in the region; oil energy; and Taiwan.
Go for free trade pact with India after N-deal: US senator
15-Dec-2006 Hindustan Times
An influential Republican senator has asked President George Bush to negotiate a full scale free trade agreement with India following the successful conclusion of the India-US civil nuclear deal.
Slow starter Japan revs up FTA drive
13-Dec-2006 Asia Times
Japan is revving up its drive toward free-trade agreements (FTAs), a move largely fueled by an intensifying rivalry with China over leadership in regional economic integration and increasingly tough global competition for oil, gas and other resources.
South-South strategic alternatives to the global economic system and power regime
6-Dec-2006 TNI
An exciting development is the number of new South-South inter-governmental alliances that are emerging to defend their interests and challenge the bias of the current global trade and investment regime.
China’s grand plans for Africa a two-way trade
6-Dec-2006 AllAfrica.com
Trade with China is likely to become an increasingly politically sensitive issue for a number of countries on the continent. That is because China is essentially buying the continent’s oil and minerals and selling back manufactured goods, a type of relationship redolent of a colonial one and similar to most of Africa’s existing trade relations with Europe and the US.
Some dangers and prospects of the regional and international situations
2-Dec-2006 Political Affairs Magazine
In the economic field, imperialism’s consternation with the slow pace of forging multilateral North-South agreements under the Doha round of meetings of the World Trade Organization have led to the more energetic push for bilateral Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).
Delhi divided over Chinese ’threat’
8-Nov-2006 Asia Times
Ahead of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to New Delhi this month, security concerns about firms from his country investing in India is turning into a touchy issue.
The importance of free trade agreements
3-Nov-2006 Al-Hayat
The European relations with the Arab World can be regarded as a model that the US should follow. The evidence lies in the welcome of free trade agreements between the EU and Arab countries, and in the doubts about free trade agreements with the US.
Europe should study Syria incentives - lawmakers
28-Oct-2006 Reuters
The European Parliament has reaffirmed that Syria must respect democratic values and human rights before the Council of 25 EU member states could approve the EU-Syria Association Agreement that has been on ice for two years.
Global capital: Scrambling to save trade perks
23-Oct-2006 LA Times
The Bush administration has a prescription for fighting coca growing, sidelining Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and saving thousands of jobs in Latin America: extending free trade for Andean nations.
Does investment always foster development? The effects of BITs on developing countries
22-Sep-2006 Ohmynews
BITs are generally crafted as political documents and quite often contain no mention of development. Western countries prefer to prioritize investment. If a development objective is involved, it is often generalized to the exclusion of any role for government.
Chen lauds ties with Central American allies
16-Sep-2006
Taiwan will continue to enhance economic ties with its Central American allies through either bilateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) or the "Jung Pang Project," President Chen Shui-bian said yesterday.
Uruguay at center of lively US-Venezuela chess game
13-Sep-2006 New York Times
Long taken for granted by its much larger neighbors, Uruguay suddenly finds itself one of the main fronts in the struggle between the United States and Venezuela for dominance in South America. Washington is offering a free-trade agreement that would pull Uruguay into the United States’ orbit and weaken Mercosur, the regional trade group to which Uruguay and Venezuela belong. Mr. Chávez has countered with attention-getting investments, subsidized oil, acts of charity and a growing alliance with left-wing factions of the ruling Broad Front.
Political issues weigh on trade talks
9-Sep-2006
At issue are commodities as varied as rice, apparel and automobiles, as well as lucrative new markets in banking and other financial services, with potentially billions of dollars in commerce at stake. But for several countries negotiating trade pacts with the US, the outcome may have less to do with economics than with American election-year politics.