We would give a monkeys, but I think the yanks have burnt just about every bridge they had with their amazing forign policy.

I'm guessing Brown would bend over nicely and sign away duty free exports (or imports - depending which side of thep ond you are on), but the French and Germans are a different matter (thank god).

I like Americans (please see attached photo).

This really isn't a flame, but fuck the yanks and their obnoxious foreign policy fuck-ups of the last 100 years (or longer if you include the invasion of the Phillipines back whenever).

I just get so angry with their holier-than-thou attitude and hypocrisy.

All I can think is "Remember Antigua" what a victory for common sense and the right to gamble online.

amanfrommars icon because I'd love to be one.

lol .. Are you stupid? or simply ignorant?

I for one hope our americans overlords win this, roll on the cheap imports!

I hope the WTO grants the USA the review it requested, as long as they put Antigua in charge of it.

So America is taking the EU to the WTO... so the American's don't like it when someone (possibly) changes the interpretation of an agreement but don't have any qualms about doing it them selves to protect their own gambling industry.

Paris, because she can only take, not give too.

Errr surely all the cheap hardware is manufactured in the far east? Shouldn't this be China vs. Europe?

As it happens... I agree with the comments on Antigua, they should get to adjudicate on this one.

Paris: Because her people could come up with a sensible solution which she can sell us in another poolside bikini clad video.

They changed the terms... and now want to change them back!

Fantastic!

I bet you the person who agreed all this for the US had an MBA from some prestigious university... wouldn't want them negotiating my salary!!!

Stand back, Homers in charge... D Oh!

(Insert homer pic here)

Americans (certainly I and the folks around me) tend to criticize our own government as much as anyone. Perhaps Obama can provide a more sensible foreign policy... why do we spend so much to police the world when the world doesn't want it? (Um, don't answer that). But America is far from a monolithic entity.

There's a lot of American policy that's been held hostage to hubris and to Wall Street. I think America's trade deficit stands testimony to that: even this is probably is a case of some American MNCs trying to resell Chinese-made equipment to Europe cheaper. If we ever get anyone in Washington with any real vision, a lot will change to the better, but I'm not sure bashing the American people is the right response: we don't have a presentation of great choices.

Its a little harsh to tar 260 million (approx) people with the same brush over this.

But we can criticise their trade policy, many people mention Antigua here and rightly so.

ICANN is another situation where the world is held to ransom for the US government (.xxx anyone).

Also a little while ago before the Antigua situation, didn't America unfairly tax all EU steel imports to protect its own steel industry.

Finally, the WTO. Hmm perhaps the biggest waste of money there is?

They dont seem to be all that useful in any situation, oh aside from when they team up the IMF to try and get another struggling nation into massive unrepayable debt.

Really this is non-issue if we take the usual American stance.... you want to deal with us, then follow OUR rules.

And a most hollow one at that.

From YouTube:

1) "Money as Debt": http://tinyurl.com/MoneyAsDebt (47 mins from Google Video)

2) "The Fall of the Dollar" - a recent Netherlands TV production of similar length, depth and integrity - depicts the endgame scenario right well indeed - keep Googlin' about...

Really, just extrapolate from the one link I got.

Eye-Tee? WE don' need no steenking Eye-Tee! We be FAITH-based! (Gimme' credit now!)

So help me, I saw this runaway freight-train fulla' wuthless greenbacks comin' at me (and all the Rest of Us) all the way back in Econ 101, thirty-odd years back. Said sumpin', too. (The class tittered; the ol' econ-prof went quite stern and then after class Gave Orders.)

For my part, I Passed the Test... Rather be an honest janitor than a crooked econ prof, believe me... That fool'd've more'n likely refused to touch a broom himself anyway. Beneath his elite dignities or sumpin', hadda' been.

Sheesh.

@jeremy

Isn't it true that because of the way America's Tax laws interact with VAT, most of the rest of the world effectively has a fairly high tariff against American goods? American products factors are effectively taxed in America (through income taxes mostly) and both the consuming country, but VAT exporting countries don't have that problem because they primarily tax consumption. That's why when you buy an American game (or car, heaven forbid) it's so darn expensive, but there's no real price differential for non-American games to be bought here.

So criticize America's trade policy if you will (there's plenty to criticize), but watch the hypocrisy.

perhaps they will vote a little more carefully in future?

Oh, I voted most carefully. At least twice in a row I got a president I didn't want despite my most fervent wishes. I'm pretty sure I voted against him.

Of course, I realize you mean us as a nation, not me as an individual. OTOH there are many people who believe -- with some evidence, apparently, not (necessarily) just paranoid ravings -- that the last two elections were, shall we say, not entirely on the up-and-up.

I mean, more than usual.

Don't worry, it will be over soon. Then we'll have another lying, cheating bastard running the country. (Sorry, I mean "politician". I get so confused between those.)

Ah well, it'll all be academic soon. Having failed to start an atomic war when the old USSR wanted to put missiles in Cuba the Yanks are going to have another go by planting their missiles in Russia's back yard - Poland. Meanwhile that cretin Busch is banging the war gongs over Georgia while he (with Blair and Brown's complicity) invades Iraq and Afghanistan. Interesting demonstration of doublethink.

Well, given the American predilection for demanding that other countries stop subsidising industries, then turning around and doing it ten times more at home, I can only hope that the Americans lose this particular pissing contest. Of course, with the WTO firmly under the thumb of American policy, it's going to get interesting to see what happens. Sort of. If you're really bored. And can't sleep.