Putting trade in perspective: why the collapse of Doha is an opportunity for a better trading system

CONTENTS

1. PUTTING TRADE INTO PERSPECTIVE: how to deal with the disappointment
2. UNDERSTANDING THE COLLAPSE: hope for the future
3. THE TAKE-OVER OF BILATERAL AND REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS: myth or reality?
4. A TIME FOR REFLECTION
5. THE WTO GOES ON
6. IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
7. DOCUMENTS

I. PUTTING TRADE INTO PERSPECTIVE: how to deal with the disappointment

The WTO is at a crossroads. The Doha Agenda, launched in 2001, and tasked to put development at its centre, is in a state of crisis. In July WTO members decided to suspend the Doha negotiations indefinitely and to take time-out for a period of reflection. The temptation is strong to think small and simply use this time to stay within the current framework and play around with numbers. If this happens, the status quo, or worse, will remain. If, however, WTO members take the time needed to refocus their negotiations and rethink the model of trade needed to support development and employment objectives, trade rules have the potential make significant improvements to our world.

Since the WTO was established in 1995, developing country members have consistently demanded that new trade rules address development concerns. In 2001, in the wake of September 11 attacks in the U.S., the Doha Development Agenda was launched, full of fine-sounding promises to put development at the heart of reforming the trading system. But even before the Doha Agenda was agreed, it was clear that neither of the two dominant players at the WTO, the U.S. and the EU, had really responded to the demands of developing countries. The interests of transnational corporations remained at the heart of the Doha Agenda: maximizing market access while protecting intellectual property rights. The current collapse can be linked back to mistakes made when WTO members agreed to the Doha Agenda.