Free Trade for Almost Everything

July 30, 2009

The United States has long been a big proponent of free trade, but only in the things that they want it to be in. They want to basically keep online gambling as a minor monopoly within their borders, and they don’t want to let anyone else share in the profits of that monopoly. However, China is now basically following suit, not allowing any online gambling outside of their country either – but this only benefits them.
 
By blocking online gambling as part of their free trade, they are limiting people with the one thing that is basically their biggest export. Countries like Antigua and Barbuda are seriously suffering because they cannot export online gambling, while the US and China are still doing very well.

It is ironic that they are the most influential when it comes to making these decisions about free trade and they say that it is essential to the well being of all countries. However, they take a different stance when dealing with online gambling. The global trading system as it stands right now is most beneficial to the US and to China, with everyone suffering but them.
 
In order for free trade to be truly free and to really work, all countries have to abide by the rules of the bargains. The US has already been warned against not allowing online gambling and have chosen to do very little about it – now it is going to the World Trade Organization and we shall see if they have any more influence than what the European Commission had on them.



 

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