U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky dismisses talk of diminished sovereignty. The United States is free to ignore any WTO ruling with which it disagrees, though it would face sanctions. Thus corporate America is much a part of the debate. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups are sending their own delegations to Seattle. The Business Roundtable, a collection of large companies, is releasing a series of reports showing how important trade is in dollars and jobs in 71 congressional districts, and identifying small businesses, including skateboard makers and artists, as beneficiaries of global trade.
Similar fights play out in virtually every country.
But in the end, most countries have opened their borders. Sometimes it's because they're bullied by their trading partners or the international community. Now rice imports, banned for years, are legal, if still controlled. They make a calculated decision that they would benefit from opening, even if there's pain up front as local industries and farms get knocked around. There is a long history of this faith in open trade, proponents say.