“the Antiguans are takin’ de piss man”

So is it complex, in accordance with your first statement, or simplistic, in accordance with your second?

That was just a Clint Eastwood movie. Don’t let anyone tell you different.

Heh, favourite comment of the day: kowtow at 1:10 pm-

“trying to make the USA out to be some evil behemoth over this is more bigotry.

An’den dey call it an industry!Dat needs protectin’ and compo?”

Criticising the sheer arrogance of extraordinarily powerful white people is ‘bigotry’, yet mocking the way relatively powerless non-white people speak is acceptable. Does kowtow actually comprehend how mindlessly idiotic this makes him or her appear?

Repeat after me: no free trade agreement with the US.

Their trade treaty requirements regarding copyright in particular have the capacity to disadvantage this country. Those of us old enough to remember the days before parallel importing of copyright material can attest to the paucity of material available for purchase. Even in the age of downloads, many are not available to our region by legitimate means. It would be back to the dark ages in terms of info availability.

To be honest anyone who trusts them in matters like this need their head examined because the US will change tack as soon as it suits them.

So – those who see only good in the TPP – get real.

No, it only assumes that Antigua is more adversely affected than the others in the WTO dispute. The OP mentions that it once employed 4000 people. Based upon Antigua’s population (80,000) then it’s possible that 4,000 is around 10% of the workforce. That is significant.

The third parties are “Canada; Chinese Taipei; European Communities; Japan; Mexico; China” . Doubtful it is such a big business for them. ( http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds285_e.htm )

It is telling that the US went outside the WTO to negotiate with the other parties. Clearly divide and conquer / bad faith.

Seems that Antigua is the only party trying to use the rules.

These matters are highly complex .

If you ask me the Antiguans are takin’ de piss man.Do dey really tink internet gamblin’ is anythin’ odder dan a scam,fleecin’idiots?

An’den dey call it an industry!Dat needs protectin’ and compo?

That assumes that Antigua is the only carribean country which was making money from international gambling. Something I find hard to believe.

No, it sounds like Antigua did not accept the compensation package that the US had reached with other WTO countries. Most probably because the US reneging its WTO obigations it is of far more significance to Antigua than those other WTO countries.

The only bad faith I can see is from the US.

Wouldn’t this be a case of importer/retailer choice? Just because NZ won the right to export apples to Australia, doesn’t mean Coles/ Woolies etc have to stock them if they think their customers won’t buy them. The “buy SA” promotion is pretty strong in South Australia, the other states may have similar? The WTO victory may have a hollow ring to it, although in the long run, supermarkets are pretty ruthless about margin so price will the ultimate determinant.

Yes

US unilaterally ignores an international obligation and WTO decision

Whatever the US may have done, it has not ignored its international obligation. It has repudiated its obligation and sought to compensate those adversely affected by the repudiation. Repudiation is lawful under international law. By way of example, Bolivia repudiated the treaty which required it to ban cocoa leaf (it later rejoined the very same treaty with a reservation that the band should not apply to cocoa leaf).

and a country that simply wants the US to honour its obligations and the WTO decision isn’t acting in good faith?

Holding out for the end of a gambling ban is not acting in good faith.

Antigua turned down a compensation package that the US had reached with other WTO countries. Sounds like Antigua isn’t negotiating in good faith.

Are you serious? US unilaterally ignores an international obligation and WTO decision and a country that simply wants the US to honour its obligations and the WTO decision isn’t acting in good faith?

We should know by now that worthwhile trade treaties with the US are a chimera.