In The News

US Shares Blame for Trade Talk Collapse

Lael Brainard July 28, 2006
An unsatisfactory end to the Doha Round of trade talks also signals the end of a US policy of “competitive liberalization,” writes economist Lael Brainard. Until now, this policy included pursuing bilateral and regional trade agreements with the hope of unlocking worldwide multilateral negotiations. The failure of Doha, with midterm elections approaching in the US, makes it unlikely that...

All Fall Down

Edward Gresser July 27, 2006
Leaders of developing nations anticipated that negotiations of the Doha Round could lead to even-handed trade practices, particularly in agriculture. With the talks collapsed, the wealthiest nations will not suffer nearly as much as the developing nations, according to trade analyst Edward Gresser. The real losers, he says, will be cotton farmers in West Africa, textile workers in low-income...

The Future of Globalization

July 27, 2006
The failure of the Doha Round represents the “defeat of the common good by special interest politics,” leaving both the world’s richest and poorest nations at a disadvantage. World Trade Organization members react with the same apathy that led to the breakdown. In the context of robust global economic growth and temptation toward one-on-one trade agreements, apathy led to the breakdown and...

Why Monday’s Collapse of the Doha Round Negotiations Is the Best Outcome for Developing Countries

Walden Bello July 27, 2006
Many mourn failure of the Doha Round as a setback for the citizens of the world’s most impoverished countries, yet author Walden Bello contends that the outcome may be best for the developing economies. Rather than delivering aid, Doha’s unequal provisions could strip farmers of any means to protect their products with tariffs, subjecting them to fierce competition of a global economy. Non-...

Is Globalization Succumbing to Glocalization?

July 26, 2006
When it comes to retail, globalization does not always work as planned. For example, in South Korea, shoppers disdain the American Wal-Mart, yet love E-Mart, a Korean-owned store with all the accoutrements of a sophisticated US store. “Glocalization” – the term that describes the combination of “global standards and local preferences” – is a tempting label to describe why Wal-Mart, the world’s...

South African Business: Going Global

July 26, 2006
Following the fall of apartheid, South African companies had much catching up to do. The isolation of the 1980s, however, did confer some benefits, including self-sufficiency and internal development. Another result was the creation of local conglomerates focusing on diverse industries, or “business octopuses.” Allowed to do business beyond South Africa’s borders, however, these unwieldy...

A Deal Doomed From the Beginning

Alan Beattie July 25, 2006
While some anti-globalization activists and NGOs breathe a sigh of relief with the collapse of the Doha round talks, others frantically question how the talks could have gone awry. So ambitious, the Doha Round was destined for failure, suggests Alan Beattie, world trade editor with “The Financial Times.” Priorities of large agricultural exporters like the US, Australia and initially Brazil...