The immediate target of the demonstrators was the World Trade Organization. But the WTO is the symbol of a larger discontent. At home, we are not content with a government that simply guarantees the free movement of goods from New Jersey to Texas. We citizens demand rules so the goods will be made in safe workplaces by workers paid at least a decent minimum wage and in ways that don't harm the environment. And we have rules to guarantee the safety of what we eat.
Free countries resolve disputes through open, democratic debate.
WTO decisions are made behind closed doors, on narrow grounds. Take the matter of genetically modified foods. Seen one way, the effort of European farmers to keep those products off their markets is naked protectionism aimed at closing out American producers. Seen another way, the issue is about whether these genetically modified foods are safe enough to make them freely available. In democracies, disputes of this sort are resolved through an open debate that seeks to balance economic and social factors, local and national concerns.