Will the Doha round implode?

On balance 2002 was a bad year for free trade, and 2003 could be worse. Last year there were a number of unilateral protectionist measures taken by developed countries, the most controversial being the U.S.' imposition of steel tariffs and its enactment of the farm bill. Even more worrisome was the lack of significant progress in the World Trade Organization's round of trade liberalization that had been launched in November 2001 in Doha, Qatar. Remember how …

…for negotiating multilateral agreements on investment and antitrust policies. If the round is to keep moving, all players from both the developed and developing camps will have to improve their performance over 2002's. Firmer and clearer commitments to free trade by all WTO members and more enlightened leadership from the U.S. and the EU are the essential ingredients for avoiding the collapse of the Doha Round. Preventing this disaster is in everybody's best interest.