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Business-Managed Democracy » Government » Trade » Business Networks » The Revolving Door |
The enlistment of regulators, bureaucrats and politicians in their cause has been a key achievement of those lobbying for various agreements within the GATT and the WTO. This is made easier by the phenomenon of the revolving door. Large financial corporations are able to offer lucrative positions, including directorships, to those who are supportive of their aims. Some government officials have also gone on to play key roles in business coalitions.
For example, Leon Brittan, former UK Minister and EU Trade Commissioner (now Lord Brittan of Spennithorne), went on to be vice-chair of UBS-Warburg, a key lobbyist for liberalization of financial services, and chair of the High Level LOTIS Group. Christopher Roberts was Director-General of Trade Policy at UK’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) till 1997 and the UK’s chief trade negotiator during the Uruguay Round before becoming chair of the LOTIS committee and vice-chair of its High Level Group. Some don’t even wait till they leave their government jobs. For example Alistair Abercrombie, one of the DTI’s ‘lead services negotiators’, took a ‘two-year secondment’ to British Invisibles where he was Director of Trade Policy and secretary to its LOTIS committee.
The table below lists some of the key government officials involved the trade policy arena.
| People | Govt. Positions | Free Trade Coalitions | Think Tanks and other Coalitions | Corporate Positions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leon Brittan | Minister – UK Parliament ‘79-86 EU trade commissioner VP European Commission ‘89-93, ‘95-2000 House of Lords |
Initiator, ESF Chair, High Level LOTIS Group |
Fellow – Policy Studies Institute (1988) Trilateral Commission Chair, Conservative Group for Europe |
Advisory director, Unilever Vice-Chair, UBS Warburg |
| William E. Brock | US Congress ‘63-70 US Senator ‘71-6 US Trade Rep. ‘81-85 US Secretary of Labor ‘85-87 |
Chair, MTN Coalition Founder, Eminent Persons Group |
Trustee - Center for Strategic and International Studies Board - Committee for Economic Development Co-chair, U.S.-Canada Partnership for Growth |
Chair, The Brock Group (TBG) 1988-95 |
| Robert S. Strauss | US Trade Representative ‘77-79 Ambassador to Soviet Union ‘91-92 |
Chair, MTN Coalition | Trustee - Center for Strategic and International Studies Chair, US Russia Business Council Member, Trilateral Commission and Council on Foreign Relations |
Partner at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P |
| Peter Sutherland | EC Commissioner Director-General GATT |
Eminent Persons Group on World Trade | Vice-chair of European Roundtable of Industrialists (ERT) Chair of the Trilateral Commission Steering Committee, Bilderberg Group |
Chair, Allied Irish Bank Chair, Goldman Sachs, BP |
| Bob Vastine | Deputy Asst Sec, Treasury Legislative Director in Senate Staff Director of Senate Republican Conference |
President, CSI | President, Congressional Economic Leadership Institute Founder, Alliance for American Innovation |
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