This weekend, the leaders of the 34 nations of North, Central,
and South America – all except Cuba – are meeting in Quebec City to
negotiate the Free Trade Area of the Americas. If ratified, the FTAA
would be the largest free trade zone in the world. Supporters say it
would be a massive boost to business and prosperity in the hemisphere.
The meetings are also attracting thousands of activists. They’ve
often been portrayed in the media as violent protestors or fringe
radicals
with costumes and puppets. But their concerns are frequently left
out of media reports. In the first of a two-part series, the Great
Lakes
Radio Consortium’s David Sommerstein takes a closer look at their
arguments: