Global trade: an economic blessing or a public nuisance?
Not many political issues have created so much dissent throughout the world as the globalization of trade. Emotions fly high though large parts of the world population are benefiting from the cheap prices of products manufactured in low-wage countries. The system seems to work in a satisfactory way when we are looking at its results. But who is paying for it?

Steel War: an illustration of global trade by reality
Based on the recent conflict about the worldwide trade of steel which was opposing mainly the US, Brazil and the European Union the documentary reveals how the global trading system is functioning, how countries fight each other for their own interests and explains how such economic wars impact life and labour even in supposedly unconcerned countries.

Eminent persons, active parties and observers, have agreed to participate in this project.

WTO World Trade Organisation:
Supachi Panitchpakdi Director General WTO 2002-05, since 2005 Director General of UNCTAD
Stefan Johannesson Permant Ambassador of Iceland to the WTO, Head of steel panel 2002
Luiz Felipe de Seixas Correa Permanent Ambassador of Brazil to the WTO
Carlo Trojan Permanent Amabassador of the EU to the WTO
Dr. Luzius Wasescha Ambassador, Delegate of the Swiss Government for Trade Negociations

Juan Somavia Director General of ILO International Labour Organization
J. Denis Belisle Executive Director of ITC International Trade Center (UNCTAD)

Brazil
Roberto Azevedo Minister, General Coordinator for Disputes, Ministry of Foreign Relations, Brasilia
Mario Mugnaini Jr Executive Secretary, Chamber of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Brasilia
Marcos Marinho Lutz Executive Vice President, CSN Companhia Siderurgica Nacional, Sao Paulo
Fernando Augusto Moreira Lopes Secretary General, National Metalworkers Confederation CUT, Sao Paulo
Uriel Villas Boas President, Steel- and Metalworkers Union CUT, Santos (Brazil)

USA
Grand Aldonas Attorney at Law, Undersecretary for International Trade, US Department of Commerce Washington (2001-05)
Thomas Danjczek President, SMA The Steel Manufacturers Association, Washington
Larry Swiger / Mark Roach Senior Executives, ISU Independent Steelworkers Union, Weirton, West Virginia (USA)

Switzerland
Oscar Zosso Ambassador, Delegate of the Swiss Government for Trade Negociations, Berne (until 2004)
Marcel Imhof Chief Executive Officer, Swiss Steel AG, Emmenbrücke (Switzerland)
René Trauffer Chief Executive Officer, Rothrist Rohr AG, Rothrist (Switzerland)

Independent eminent persons
Susan George
 Globalization critic, Vice President ATTAC France, Paris
Joseph Stiglitz Professor for Economics and Finance, Columbia University, New York; Nobel Prize Laureate in Economic Sciences 2001

Also appearing from archive footage
Kofi Annan Secretary General, United Nations, New York
Bill Clinton President of the United States of America 1993-2001
George W. Bush President of the United States of America, since 2001
Robert Zoellick US Trade Representative 2001-2004
Linnet Deily Permanent Ambassador of the USA to the WTO, in charge of the steel negotiations 2002
Pascal Lamy EU Commissioner for Trade 1999-2004, since 2005 Director General WTO

and many more…

Author/Script David Syz
Director/Editor Georges Böhler
Cinematography Beat Roth
Producers David Syz and Georges Böhler
Produced by ecodocs ag and gbp Georges Boehler Production
Distribution ecodocs ag

58 min / © 2006 ecodocs ag