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Openness deters mayhem in street

Friday, December 3, 1999

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD

Today a trashed Seattle expects to bid adieu to delegates from 135 nations who came here to decide what the World Trade Organization should argue about next.

We feel compelled to apologize to the WTO delegates for the unfriendly treatment they endured as the result of a few mindless demonstrators and our city's lamentable failure to anticipate their irresponsible antics. It's embarrassing because this awful reception is unrepresentative of Seattle citizens.

That said, we also want to offer a few words of counsel to the members of the WTO as they flee our disheveled city:

Until you open your business to the world's citizens, your organization will look like trouble to any city that would consider offering you an invitation. Without change, you can be assured that the same public unhappiness that you experienced here will dog your footsteps around the globe.

The Seattle Round, alas, is most likely to be remembered as the opening salvo in what promises to be a contentious 21st-century global protest about the WTO.

When you arrived here Monday, we pointed out that those who wish to lobby the WTO, whether their complaints are legitimate or looney, have only one lobbying avenue open to them: the streets. After your experience here, we trust you take our point.

Lost in the haze of tear gas is this: Tens of thousands of responsible, law-abiding people came to Seattle to tell you they expect better of your organization than you've so far delivered.

  • They want a fair deal for the workers whose labors underpin the global economy. That means humane working conditions, fair wages, the right to organize and an end to exploitation of children.

    No country is too poor to treat its workers humanely.

  • They don't want their environment sacrificed for the sake of corporate profits.

    Sound environmental principles must underpin global trade; long-term human survival on this planet depends on it.

  • They want representation at the table where trade policies are negotiated and they want a seat in the courtroom where WTO trade disputes are adjudicated.

    Transparency and inclusion must become the hallmarks of any organization that seeks to decide the controversial issues that come before the WTO.

    We believe the WTO is an essential tool to regulating peaceful trade among nations. But if its member governments continue to refuse to come to grips with these essential matters, the legitimacy and effectiveness of WTO remain in grave doubt.

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