Posted on 06/03/2015 8:14:34 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
WikiLeaks releases today the “Investment Chapter” from the secret negotiations of the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) agreement. The document adds to the previous WikiLeaks publications of the chapters for Intellectual Property Rights (November 2013) and the Environment (January 2014).
The TPP Investment Chapter, published today, is dated 20 January 2015. The document is classified and supposed to be kept secret for four years after the entry into force of the TPP agreement or, if no agreement is reached, for four years from the close of the negotiations.
Julian Assange, WikiLeaks editor said:
“The TPP has developed in secret an unaccountable supranational court for multinationals to sue states. This system is a challenge to parliamentary and judicial sovereignty. Similar tribunals have already been shown to chill the adoption of sane environmental protection, public health and public transport policies.”
Current TPP negotiation member states are the United States, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Chile, Singapore, Peru, Vietnam, New Zealand and Brunei. The TPP is the largest economic treaty in history, including countries that represent more than 40 per cent of the world´s GDP.
The Investment Chapter highlights the intent of the TPP negotiating parties, led by the United States, to increase the power of global corporations by creating a supra-national court, or tribunal, where foreign firms can “sue” states and obtain taxpayer compensation for “expected future profits”. These investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) tribunals are designed to overrule the national court systems. ISDS tribunals introduce a mechanism by which multinational corporations can force governments to pay compensation if the tribunal states that a country’s laws or policies affect the company’s claimed future profits. In return, states hope that multinationals will invest more. Similar mechanisms have already been used. For example, US tobacco company Phillip Morris used one such tribunal to sue Australia (June 2011 – ongoing) for mandating plain packaging of tobacco products on public health grounds; and by the oil giant Chevron against Ecuador in an attempt to evade a multi-billion-dollar compensation ruling for polluting the environment. The threat of future lawsuits chilled environmental and other legislation in Canada after it was sued by pesticide companies in 2008/9. ISDS tribunals are often held in secret, have no appeal mechanism, do not subordinate themselves to human rights laws or the public interest, and have few means by which other affected parties can make representations.
The TPP negotiations have been ongoing in secrecy for five years and are now in their final stages. In the United States the Obama administration plans to “fast-track” the treaty through Congress without the ability of elected officials to discuss or vote on individual measures. This has met growing opposition as a result of increased public scrutiny following WikiLeaks’ earlier releases of documents from the negotiations.
The TPP is set to be the forerunner to an equally secret agreement between the US and EU, the TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership).
Negotiations for the TTIP were initiated by the Obama administration in January 2013. Combined, the TPP and TTIP will cover more than 60 per cent of global GDP. The third treaty of the same kind, also negotiated in secrecy is TISA, on trade in services, including the financial and health sectors. It covers 50 countries, including the US and all EU countries. WikiLeaks released the secret draft text of the TISA’s financial annex in June 2014.
All these agreements on so-called “free trade” are negotiated outside the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) framework. Conspicuously absent from the countries involved in these agreements are the BRICs countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China.
You can read the agreement here: https://goo.gl/5hQ1O2
Any Congresscritter who votes for this with its provisions for yielding American sovereignty to tribunals that are specifically designed to overrule the national court systems is guilty of treason IMHO.
We can certainly project that such “tribunals” would quickly become dominated by anti-American leftists interested less in justice than in inflicting as much damage on America and Americans as they can get away with.
How could ANY US Congressman agree to this *secret* “trade” agreement, in good conscience?
I know...most of Congress doesn’t have a conscience.
It isn’t secret to them, is it?
Agreed. Why our own supposed ‘Conservatives’ are helping get this thru is flat out unreal. Obama HATES America, we all KNOW that. ANYTHING he is for, and he is pushing for this HARD, can’t be good for America in any way. There is no way in heck our side should be helping Barry. This TPP is far more than just trade. As the leaks keep coming, more and more folks are gonna see just what is involved with this nightmare for America. Has anyone heard a peep so far from our leading Conservatives as to why they think this TPP is good for America.....why they are going full out to help the most insidious evil man(?) to ever be POTUS?
TRAITORS! CRIMINALS!
Honestly, Paul Ryan has always creeped me out a little. He’s behind so much of this in the house. It’s more about his ego than what’s right.
Even Joe Biden made him look like a silly school girl in the debate. “Bean” What a clown.
I think Paul Ryan is very gullible and is not the brightest bulb in the House.
You’ve got to remember that the Chamber of Commerce pushed illegal immigration.
The chamber has a lot of these guys in their pocket.
Has anyone heard a peep so far from our leading Conservatives as to why they think this TPP is good for America
No, I haven’t. But, I’d like to email/phone/tweet/FB each and EVERY one - especially those running for Prez - and ask for their reply to that question.
I think Paul Ryan is very gullible and is not the brightest bulb in the House.
—
Agree. I believe he impresses himself talking but he does nothing for me.
Mitt made a very lame choice for VP candidate. Mitt wasn’t my choice of republicans but he was light years ahead of Paul Ryan.
“It isn’t secret to them, is it?”
Mark Levin was talking about the secrecy on his show today. He said Bohener hasn’t even read it. I don’t know if it is secret from him, or he just hasn’t bothered to read it.
Thomas Jefferson thought that the Constitution should have a clause in there that any bill brought before the Congress should be available to the public. Sadly that isn’t in there.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/05/tpp-elizabeth-warren-labor-118068.html#.VW_Kgkam35U
A quick search - it isn’t secret to Congress. In fact, “political advisors” have also been provided with it. Of course they can’t say what is in it.
A bill so good we’re not allowed to know what’s in it.
It would be good if posters here at FR would read this before commenting.
Remember this is Wikileaks. He who hates corporations.
Here he is complaining that TPP is an advantage to corporations who have been harmed by states (countries).
In THIS complaint it is NOT the UN imposing on companies.
Obama and other politicians simply following the instructions of their major transnational corporate donors.
You must understand that there are no pro-American corporations anymore. They are all Global, and want to do business anywhere in the world and have nation states pick up the expenses. They are not Capitalists but an old form in new clothes - Dictators.
Remember, your boy Teddy Cruz voted for this pile of manure.
You need to do some research and find out why. I’ve already explained it to another 45 snarky posters and I’m in no mood for #46.
I have no intentions on voting for someone born in Canada.
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