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had been Americans' best protection against tyranny enforced by martial law—the harsh system of rules that takes effect when the military takes control of the normal administration of justice. The massive Defense Authorization Act grants the Pentagon $532.8 billion to include implementation of the new law which furthermore facilitates militarised police round-ups of protesters, so-called illegal aliens, potential terrorists and other undesirables for detention in facilities already contracted and under construction, and transferring from the Pentagon to local police units the latest technology and weaponry designed to suppress dissent. (Source: Frank Morales, "Bush Moves Toward Martial Law", Uruknet, October 26, 2006, http://www.uruknet.info/?p=27769) had been Americans' best protection against tyranny enforced by as they dump subsidised agricultural goods on undeveloped martial law—the harsh system of rules that takes effect when the countries (see story 21), plunging local farmers into desperate military takes control of the normal administration of justice. poverty. Meanwhile, they use high tariffs and stringent import The massive Defense Authorization Act grants the Pentagon quotas to protect their own producers. Unprecedented loss of $532.8 billion to include implementation of the new law which livelihood, displacement, slave labour along with spiralling furthermore facilitates militarised police round-ups of protesters, degradation of human rights and environments are resulting as so-called illegal aliens, potential terrorists and other undesirables economic governance is forced from governments of developing for detention in facilities already contracted and under construction, countries and taken over by unaccountable multinational firms. and transferring from the Pentagon to local police units the latest The new generation of agreements extends far beyond the technology and weaponry designed to suppress dissent. traditional area of trade policy, imposing a damaging set of binding (Source: Frank Morales, "Bush Moves Toward Martial Law", rules in intellectual property, services and investment with much Uruknet, October 26, 2006, http://www.uruknet.info/?p=27769) deeper consequences for development and impacts on the poor. US and EU free trade agreements (FTAs) also remove the right to share 3. US Military Control of Africa's Resources seeds among indigenous farmers, while profit margins of the In February 2007, the White House announced the formation of _ world's largest agribusinesses continue to climb. New rules also the US African Command (AFRICOM), a new unified Pentagon _ pose a threat to essential services as FTAs allow foreign investors command centre in Africa, to be established by September 2008. to take ownership of healthcare, education, water and public This military penetration of Africa is being presented as a utilities. Investment chapters of new FTAs and bilateral investment humanitarian guard in the global War on Terror. The real treaties (BITs) allow foreign investors to sue for lost profits, objective, however, is the procurement and control of Africa's oil including anticipated future profits, if governments change and its global delivery systems. AFRICOM will replace US regulations, even when such reforms are in the public interest. military command posts in Africa, which were formerly under These rules undermine the sovereignty of developing nations, the control of US European Command (EUCOM) and US Central transferring power to largely unaccountable multinational firms. Command (CENTCOM), with a more centralised and intensified (Sources: Oxfam International, "Signing Away The Future" US military presence. report, March 2007, http://www. It is in Western and Sub-Saharan oxfam.org/en/policy/briefingpapers/ Africa that the US military force is bp101_regional_trade_agreements_ most rapidly increasing. In this . 0703; Sanjay Suri, "Free Trade region, challenge to US domination These rules undermine Enslaving Poor Countries", March and exploitation is coming from the the sovereignty of developing 20, 2007, http://ipsnews.org/news. people of Africa—most specifically in . . asp?idnews=37008) Nigeria, where 70 per cent of Africa's nations, transferri ng power oil is contained. Environmental and 5. Human Traffic Builds US human rights activists have, for years, to largely unaccountable Embassy in Iraq documented atrocities on the part of multinational firms. The enduring monument to US oil companies and the military in this liberation and democracy in Iraq will region. Oil companies and the be the most expensive and heavily Pentagon are attempting to link these fortified embassy in the world—and is resistance groups to international being built by a Kuwait contractor terror networks in order to legitimise the use of the US military to repeatedly accused of using forced labour trafficked from South "stabilise" these areas and secure the energy flow. No evidence Asia under US contracts. The $592 million, 104-acre fortress will has been found, however, to link the Niger Delta resistance be equal in size to Vatican City. groups to international terror networks or jihadists. Instead, the With a highly secretive contract awarded by the US State situation in the Niger Delta is that of ethnic-nationalist Department, First Kuwaiti Trading & Contracting (FKTC) has movements fighting, by any means necessary, toward the political joined the ranks of Halliburton/KBR in Iraq by using bait-and- objective of self-determination. switch recruiting practices. Thousands of citizens from countries The volatility surrounding oil installations in Nigeria and that have banned travel or work in Iraq are being tricked, smuggled elsewhere in the continent is used by the US security establishment —_ into brutal and inhumane labor camps and subjected to months of to justify military "support" in African oil-producing states under forced servitude—all in the middle of the US-controlled Green the guise of helping Africans defend themselves against those who _—_Zone, "right under the nose of the US State Department". would hinder their engagement in "free trade". Though Associated Press reported that "[t]he 5,500 Americans (Source: Bryant Hunt, "Understanding AFRICOM", and Iraqis working at the embassy are far more numerous than at MoonofAlabama.org, February 21, 2007, http://www. any other US mission worldwide", there is no mention in moonofalabama.org/2007/02/understanding_a_1.html) corporate media of the 3,000 South Asian labourers living and working in dangerous, abysmal conditions. 4. Frenzy of Increasingly Destructive Trade Agreements The Pentagon has yet to announce, however, any penalty for The United States and the European Union (EU) are vigorously those found to be in violation of US labour trafficking laws or pursuing increasingly destructive regional and bilateral trade and contract requirements. investment agreements outside the auspices of the World Trade (Sources: Associated Press, "New US Embassy in Iraq Cloaked Organization (WTO). These agreements are requiring enormous in Mystery," MSNBC, April 14, 2006; David Phinney, "A US irreversible concessions from developing countries, while offering Fortress Rises in Baghdad: Asian Workers Trafficked to Build almost nothing in return. World's Largest Embassy", CorpWatch, October 17, 2007, The US and EU are demanding unprecedented tariff reductions http://www.corpwatch. org/article.php?id=14173) the sovereignty of developing nations, transferring power to largely unaccountable multinational firms. 4. Frenzy of Increasingly Destructive Trade Agreements The United States and the European Union (EU) are vigorously pursuing increasingly destructive regional and bilateral trade and investment agreements outside the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO). These agreements are requiring enormous irreversible concessions from developing countries, while offering almost nothing in return. The US and EU are demanding unprecedented tariff reductions 12 = NEXUS These rules undermine www. nexusmagazine.com DECEMBER 2007 — JANUARY 2008