Alternative Perspective
 Issue 15, January 8, 2003
 Compiled by Madhukar Shukla

Introduction: Alternative Perspective is an attempt to widen our awareness about issues related to business, environment, role and influence of media, geo-politics, culture, etc. It aims to share, on a regular basis, some of those pieces of news and information, which do not find place in the highly monopolised mainstream media. Please feel free to share/ forward/ distribute this newsletter to others who may be interested.

Wishing all Alternative Perspective Subscribers A Very Amazing and Memorable Year Ahead

Note: The URLs of sources used in the text are numbered and given at the end of the Newsletter.

In This Issue:
  • The Hidden Costs of Trade Liberalisation
     Recently, US came out with a proposal for a tarrif-free world by 2015[1]. Sounds good... till one takes a look at the hidden costs of other free trade agreements, e.g., NAFTA[2]. In fact, not only does Free Trade hurt the economies of developing countries, but even of the developed nations - even for US, the costs of Free Trade doctrine are pretty high[3].
    http://www.wtowatch.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/Trade_and_Hunger_An_Overview_of_Case_Studies_o.htm

  • Genuine Progress Indicator: An Alternative to GDP
    In one of the earlier issues, one feature entitled "The Fuzzy Maths of GDP" had highlighted the the inadequacies of GDP as a measure of genuine growth[4]. Genuine Progress Indicator shows that even if GDP is high, the actual progress may stagnate[5]. In fact, as the next feature shows, a high military spending, or a flourishing personal fire-arm industry - both adding to the GDP of the country - does not necessarily mean that people may really feel safe!!
    http://www.emagazine.com/may-june_1999/0599feat2.html

  • The Culture of Fear
    For a country, with largest military spending, a Homeland Security Department, a constitutional right to bear firearms, close to 200,000 licensed arms dealers, around 200mn personal firearms (for a population of around 250-270mn)[6], etc. etc... people should feel safe, shouldn't they?... Surprisingly, they don't[7]!!!
    http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/library/fear/index.php

  • The Lost "Community Dimension" of Corporations
    There was time, when corporations were part of the community - and contributed to the community life and well-being - and "market" was a real place - not an invisible force - where people of community met and interacted with each other. And though times have changed - as have meaning of corporations and the market - it is still worth knowing the historical roots of modern corporation, and how they have changed over time.
    http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC41/Rowe.htm

  • 2002: A Good Year with Surprises!!! - and 2003 is brighter???
    This piece from The Economist will, perhaps, go down as a classic piece of desperate journalism in the history. According to this assessment - in spite of international march of terrorism (e.g., in Bali, Helinski, Mombasa, Mascow), Palestinian-Israeli conflict, corporate scandals in USA leading to collapse of giants, third consecutive year of decline in most stockmarkets, collapse of Argentina (the darling of Free Market supporters), unemployment rising in most countries, world stock market down by 20% in the year, etc. etc. (all mentioned in this article) - 2002 was a surprisingly good year!!!... and 2003, with war on Iraq looming large, is likely to be even better!!?
    http://www.economist.com/opinion/PrinterFriendly.cfm?Story_ID=1503590


    Other Sources Quoted in the Newsletter:
    [1]: http://usembassy.state.gov/calcutta/wwwh1204amb.html
    [2]: http://www.citizen.org/trade/nafta/index.cfm
    [3]: http://www.theamericancause.org/freetrade.htm
    [4]: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/1999/9903.rowe.growth.html
    [5]: http://www.redefiningprogress.org/projects/gpi/
    [6]: http://www.amfire.com/stats.htm
    [7]: http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/1011/p02s01-ussc.htm


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