In The News

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...

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...

End the Lie, Rejoice in Cheap Imports

Edward M. Graham July 21, 2006
The public is indifferent to trade negotiations, according to Edward Graham, because most people take trade for granted. Politicians have led the way in promoting a massive lie to the public – that the benefits of expanded trade come from expanded exports. Graham points out that import expansion actually provides greater benefits, including long-term improvements in productivity and an increase...

Development Vs. Free Trade

Bernard K. Gordon July 20, 2006
The meeting this week in Geneva may be the last chance to complete the Doha Development Round of talks launched by the World Trade Organization in 2001. While many observers anticipate that the round could be rescued, the stalemate highlights the structural weaknesses of a trade organization taking on a development agenda. The aim of the WTO is to lower trade barriers in the pursuit of expanding...

The Fighters and the Freeloaders

Sebastian Mallaby July 17, 2006
Hezbollah’s attacks have focused on Israel, but growing extremism combined with North Korea’s missile tests and Iran’s nuclear-weapon program threaten many countries. Israel’s bombing campaign in response to Hezbollah could foreshadow a major war. Unfortunately, nations lack diplomatic options to negotiate with extremists who thrive in failed states. To avoid major conflicts, powerful nations...

The Death of Doha Signals the Demise of Globalization

Martin Jacques July 13, 2006
The deadlock at the Doha round signals the end of an era. The past 25 years of globalization coincided with the promotion of multilateral trade, but now both the developing and developed nations turn their interests elsewhere. As the US and other developed countries slide toward protectionism, developing countries refuse to accept the type of unfavorable agreements that once characterized...