TORONTO, November 6, 2001 -- Clouded by fears of terrorist attacks and worldwide economic decline, the World Trade Organization (WTO) meets in the Persian Gulf kingdom of Qatar this week to launch a new round of trade liberalization talks, more than two years after that effort collapsed in Seattle. Another failure to launch a fresh round of trade talks, the first in 15 years, could seriously weaken the organization.

The meeting in the city of Doha, Nov. 9-13, will debate a draft agenda prepared by Hong Kong ambassador to the WTO Stuart Harbinson, that would liberalize trade in agriculture, goods and services. York University professors of political science, business, economics, law and environmental studies can comment on the issues and assess the potential for this meeting to narrow the differences between developing and industrialized countries.

Harry Arthurs, professor of law and political science at York University's Osgoode Hall Law School, has published extensively on the effect of globalization on democratic institutions. He has explored the linkages between free trade, workers' rights and the concerns of developing countries that conditions placed on their access to the global economy will be used as a pretext for protectionism. Arthurs can be reached at: 416-736-5407.

Deborah Barndt, a professor in York’s Faculty of Environmental Studies and a fellow of the York Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLAC), has conducted extensive research and field work in the area of popular education in Canada, the United States and Latin America. She has recently focused her research on the continental food system and is editor of Women Working the NAFTA Food Chain: Women, Food and Globalization (Toronto: Second Story Press, 1999). She can be reached at: 416-736-2100, ext. 40365.

Mitchell Bernard, professor of political science specializing in China and Japan, was recently visiting professor in the Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University, Japan. He is working on a study on the current political economy of Japan, and on China and regional integration, and can comment on those countries’ international trade concerns. Phone: 416-588-0944, email: mbernard@yorku.ca.

Edgar Dosman, a political scientist and Senior Research Fellow at York’s Centre for International and Security Studies, specializes in Western Hemisphere relations. He is author of Changing Americas: Beyond Mexico, and Dynamic Partnership: Canada’s Changing Role in the Americas. He is also examining issues of border management and its effects on notions of national sovereignty. Dosman can be reached at: 416-736-2100, ext. 46003, or at home: 416-534-4680.

Daniel Drache, a political scientist and director of the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies at York University is author of States Against Markets: The Limits of Globalization (Routledge, 1996) and is researching trade protectionism and the social deficits of globalization trends. He can be reached at: 416-736-5415 or at home: 416-921-3332.

Ricardo Grinspun, a professor of economics and of social and political thought, and a fellow of the York Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean, has published in-depth analyses on the political economy of free trade and integration in the Americas. He argues that fair trade is an essential component of global security and says the Doha meeting will be a failure if Canada and other countries pursue new trade and investment rules that aggravate existing global inequalities. He can be reached at: 905-886-2304.

Kurt Huebner, visiting professor of political science and member of the Canadian Centre for German and European Studies at York, can comment on the concerns of European countries and the European Union stance at the WTO with reference to farm export subsidies as a stumbling block to a successful meeting. Phone: 416-736-2100, ext. 40090, email: khuebner@yorku.ca.

Sam Lanfranco, a professor of economics in the School of Analytic Studies and Information Technology in the Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies at York, specializes in research on the impact of information and communications technology on organizations, communities and markets, where time and distance are no longer effective barriers to open competition. He urges greater transparency in trade discussions about intellectual property rights, rules on access to telecommunications markets, and greater democratic accountability. Lanfranco can be reached at: 416-736-5232, or cell: 416-816-2852.

James Laxer, a political scientist in the Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies at York, is author of Stalking The Elephant: My Discovery of America (Viking, 2000). He specializes in Canada-U.S. relations, international trade, and border management issues. He can be reached at: 416-544-9941.

Yigang Pan, Scotia Bank Professor of International Business at York's Schulich School of Business, specializes in the performance of foreign firms in the Chinese market and issues for China at the WTO. He can be reached at: 416- 736-2100, ext. 77936.

Yasmine Shamsie, a doctoral candidate in political science at York and a research associate at the Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean, has recently completed a report for the North-South Institute in Ottawa entitled, Engaging with Civil Society: Lessons from the OAS, FTAA and Summits of the Americas. She can analyze the complexities of the various opposition groups protesting against globalization and discuss the growing cynicism in Latin America about democracy, as education and the development of democratic institutions is increasingly dictated by the international trade agenda. Shamsie can be reached at: 416-516-6059.

Bernie Wolf, professor of economics and international business at York’s Schulich School of Business, specializes in international trade and the international monetary system. He is particularly interested in the motor vehicle, telecommunications and resource sectors. He is a strong proponent of the WTO and says economists and the international business community have not done an adequate job of educating the public about the tremendous gains that have accrued from the trade liberalization of the last 50 years. He can be reached at: 416-736-5067, or at home: 416-223-2794.

Lorna Wright, a professor of international business and director of the International MBA Program at York’s Schulich School of Business, specializes in the impact of culture on trade negotiations and has been active in international and cross-cultural consulting for more than 25 years in North America and Asia. Her research focuses on international negotiations, strategic alliances, and conditions for Canadian success internationally. Wright can be reached via email at: lwright@schulich.yorku.ca and at: 416-736-2100, ext. 77894.

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For further information, please contact:

Susan Bigelow
Media Relations
York University
416-736-2100, ext. 22091
sbigelow@yorku.ca

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