Wikileaks Publishes More Secret Trade Documents

On Wednesday, Wikileaks released 17 secret documents from the ongoing Trade In Services Agreement (TISA) negotiations, which have been going on behind closed doors for the past two years.

Wikileaks also tweeted out CWA's comment that "Once again, WikiLeaks reveals what we cannot learn from our own government," and linked to this statement by CWA President Larry Cohen:

"Once again, Wikileaks reveals what we cannot learn from our own government, a government that defaults to giant trade deals that affect generations of Americans shrouded in secrecy until they are virtually adopted. The leaks of the TISA text reveal once again how dangerous Fast Track Authority is when it comes to protecting citizen rights vs. corporate rights. This TISA text again favors privatization over public services, limits governmental action on issues ranging from safety to the environment using trade as a smokescreen to limit citizen rights. Those in the U.S. Congress considering Fast Track should take heed. TISA is as big a blow to our rights and freedom as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and in both cases our government's secrecy is the key enabler."

The disclosed documents – covering the United States, the European Union and 23 other countries – illustrate "the aim to further deregulate the financial sector, despite widespread consensus that lack of oversight and regulation was the main cause of the last global financial crisis of 2008," said Wikileaks.

Negotiations for TISA, which also cover communications and other service sector work, are nearly complete, yet there has been very little information made public about this deal, despite the fact that services account for 75 percent of U.S. economic output and 80 percent of U.S. private sector jobs. Fast Track would apply to TISA as well as other deals proposed between now and 2021.

Read more here:

• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/03/wikileaks-secret-trade-deals_n_7504548.html
• http://www.thenation.com/blog/209097/two-million-americans-petition-congress-reject-fast-track
• http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2015/06/04/Big-Hole-Wikileaks-Revelations-About-Major-Trade-Deal.