India: States of Resistance

Washington and its echo chambers in the media like Thomas Friedman never cease to extol the virtues of so-called free trade. So-called because it is heavily dependent on taxpayer subsidies. While well-paying jobs disappear in the United States and wages are stagnant, citizens fork over billions of dollars to top corporations to export their products. For example, giant American agri-businesses dump their cheap grain in the Indian marketplace. This is the famous level playing field that free trade advocates loudly champion. But how can Indian farmers compete? They can’t. The impact has been devastating. As journalist P. Sainath and others have documented, there is an epidemic of suicides among farmers as well as an internal refugee crisis. Unequal trade deals are producing a backlash. All over India groups are fighting back.