ABSTRACT
On the morning of November 30, 1999, 50,000 people packed downtown Seattle, as leaders of 135 governments gathered for the third Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) (see Figure 6.1). It was a diverse group, including environmentalists, proponents of social justice, students, teachers, and workers. All were there to protest the WTO’s free-trade policies. Some demanded fair trade that does not exploit the world’s poorest populations or its non-renewable environmental resources. Others protested the loss of American jobs that they attributed to free trade. Hoping to halt the meeting, some engaged in civil disobedience, trying to block delegates from reaching the convention center. A few smashed store windows and started fires. Officials ordered the streets cleared and established a noprotest zone downtown. Thousands of riot police moved in with tear gas, rubber bullets, and concussion grenades, followed by the National Guard. Armored vehicles and police helicopters patrolled the city streets around the Seattle convention center. In the end, over 500 people were arrested, although most were soon released, and downtown
damage. The WTO meeting lasted the week, but delegates left without reaching agreement. Many attributed this failure, in large part, to the antiglobalization protestors.
