(o) 609-951-2222 (c) 609-658-7417 (f) 609-897-9598
(web address): www.itssd.org

Mr. Lawrence Kogan spoke at the first Good Neighbor Forum in the United States,
on February 24, 2007, in Greeley, Colorado.
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I recently came across a speech delivered by French President Jacques Chirac about France's emphasis of the new post WWII paradigm of environment-centric sustainable development that France would like to govern global affairs through UN-brokered multilateral treaties.

This is precisely what the ITSSD was formed to oppose - we promote a positive paradigm of sustainable development consistent with private property, free markets and WTO rules-based principles We do not support environment-centric sustainable development which we call 'negative' sustainable development. We do so because it points out all of the 'negatives' about capitalism, America and free trade, We have accumulated overwhelming evidence that 'negative'sustainable development intended to, and actually serves to tie America down internationally, and to protect French and European economic, science and technology interests.

I authored a 10-page article two years ago that was published in the National Interest foreign policy journal that speaks about this challenge to American global influence. It is entitled, "Exporting Europe's Protectionism". I believe that this should be required reading for the forum attendees. It is accessible at: http://www.itssd.org/Publications/Kogan%20TNI%2077FINAL.pdf

More recently I authored a 4 page article about how people like Monsieur Chirac, such as WTO Director General, Pascal Lamy (another Frenchman reared in socialist thought), are trying to 'pollute' international trade (WTO) law with such environment-centric sustainable development rhetoric. See, "Polluting the Future of the WTO", at: http://www.itssd.org/Publications/PollutingtheFuture.pdf .

Most importantly, however, to contrast my two prior articles with what France is calling for Europe and the world to do, I believe that you should hand out the Jacques Chirac speech. It will make everyone's spine tingle. If they think the US federal government has been intrusive in the way they employ environmental regulations to 'take' private property, nothing will compare to what the French call for in terms of global regulation Judging from the way the new Democratic Congress is speaking, they seem to agree with the French/European approach. The Chirac speech is accessible at: http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/actu/bulletin.gb.asp?liste=20070202.gb.html&submit.x=6&submit.y=9

Lawrence Kogan

Lawrence Kogan is president and chief executive officer of the Institute for Trade, Standards and Sustainable Development (ITSSD), a nonpartisan, nonprofit, international legal research and educational organization, and has advised the Bush administration concerning Europe’s use of the precautionary principle to dominate international economic affairs.

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