Breaking the Log-Jam at the Doha Round of the WTO negotiations

Abstract

"With 149 countries as members at present, the WTO sets the rules for the global trading system and resolves disputes between its member states, all of whom have signed its various agreements. The next agreement is being hammered out right now. Called the Doha Development Round, its official aim is to lower trade barriers around the world, permitting free trade between countries of widely varying levels of prosperity. According to its proponents, the intention of this round is to make trade rules fairer for developing countries. Opponents charge that the round will expand a system of trade rules that are bad for development and interfere excessively with the ability of national governments to create or amend domestic policies."