A Silver Lining, WTO?

[bb88]

Is it possible for the UK to get involved in this since they have a couple poker sites being traded on their exchange?

[xxThe_Lebowskixx]

UK is the USA's bitch.

[MelchyBeau]

UK may offer up some token resistance, but it won't have any substance

[iron81]

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The USA doesnt even follow UN regulations, do you think they will give a crap about WTO?

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The WTO isn't completely toothless. As the result of a WTO ruling, the US repealed some anti dumping laws, and probably a few other laws that I don't want to research. The key is to have powerful countries in opposition. The case I am referring to involves the European Union and several other countries. US Govt Linky

On top of this, remember that Bush is in favor of free trade, and the WTO is the primary mechanism of liberalizing worldwide trade. Bush likes the WTO a lot more than the UN, so he is less likely to tell them to take a hike. Now that I think about it, there is a non-zero chance the WTO could bail us out.

[Iq75]

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The USA doesnt even follow UN regulations, do you think they will give a crap about WTO?

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The WTO isn't completely toothless. As the result of a WTO ruling, the US repealed some anti dumping laws, and probably a few other laws that I don't want to research. The key is to have powerful countries in opposition. The case I am referring to involves the European Union and several other countries. US Govt Linky

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I have wondered for a long time why does not the EU (UK mainly) take this case to WTO. After all UK has a lot of gaming companies. Would the US goverment really be willing to go to trade war against the EU over this if WTO ruled the law to be against their treaties? Then again maybe EU is not willing to risk the possibility of trade war over matter this small and contraversial (after all a lot of the member states - including mine - are not willing to open this industry to free trade).

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On top of this, remember that Bush is in favor of free trade, and the WTO is the primary mechanism of liberalizing worldwide trade.

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Really? It does not seem so when we talk about issues concerning food, steel ... etc...etc...

Could it be that the Bush goverment is in favor of free trade only when it suits US needs..

[Silent1]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5395928.stm

EU fighting US dirty tricks

[peritonlogon]

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How are we any different from them now? I mean with our new policies of wiretapping private citizens and torturing foreign citizens, what have we turned into?


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We have better carpeting and wallpaper than the Soviets did, and, as various home and design networks have demonstrated, wallpaper and carpets are very important to Americans.

[Richas]

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UK may offer up some token resistance, but it won't have any substance

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Oh we'll happily have a go. Gordon Brown is the guy who legislated to bring the sites on shore (watch for news on this v soon) and he has a leadership election coming up in the next year and will want to put some distance between the US and UK to appeal to his party's roots. Championing free trade is the perfect story for him as it also reassures the right of the party whilst bashing Bush- especially as he will be talking tough for Africa at the same time appealing to the left.

EU is getting stroppy even over flight information we'll happily do it for poker. Poker would be a low priority but it's a sure fire win so will be used as a stick.

[Jay Cohen]

Here's a WTO update:

Antigua filed its brief with the Compliance Panel last Monday the 25th. The US will file their response in mid October, I think it's the 16th.

The US has done nothing. Their position that they stated at the last WTO meeting in Geneva was that they were in compliance so they did not have to do anything. Of course this was in direct conflict with what they said 8 months earlier when they told an arbitrator it would take them 2-3 years to come into compliance.

Obviously they were just stalling when they asked for the 3 years. Bottom line is they have done nothing, this should be the easiest case a Compliance Panel has ever heard.

The UK can not file with the WTO on its own. It is part of the EU.

The EU along with Canada, Mexico, Japan, and I believe Taiwan filed briefs on Antigua's side in the original case. The EU and one of the other four filed briefs on Antigua's side in the case before the Appellate Body. I believe Canada and maybe the others caved to pressure from the US not to support Antigua.

This present legislation only strengthens the WTO's case. If there was any shadow of a doubt that the US's laws were pure protectionism, which there wasn't, but if there was it has left the building with this bill.

As far as the US coming into compliance, the US can't pick and choose. This is the first time a tiny nation has taken on a big nation. Now that Antigua has prevailed all of the developing countries that the US pushes to join the WTO have an eye on this matter.

The US gets more out of the WTO than any other country. They can't expect other countries to honor adverse decisions when they don't honor the ones against them.

The world is watching.

[matrix]

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UK is the USA's bitch.

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