The Doha Round marked its eighth birthday in November 2009, making it the longest running multilateral trade negotiation in the postwar era. Doha participants continue to disagree about prospective liberalization of agriculture and manufactures and have barely begun to consider reductions in barriers to trade in services. Negotiators have missed every deadline to conclude the talks, leading some to question the viability of the entire venture. After nearly nine years of inconclusive meetings, the trade talks are at a tipping point: A global trade deal is still possible with renewed political commitment to trade reform, but continued drift could result in the first outright failure of a multilateral trade round in the postwar era. This policy analysis shows that the Doha Round can still be successfully concluded with a concerted push by the major trading nations. Contrary to the Doha doomsayers, the potential gains from proposals now on the table are significant, albeit not sufficient to close a deal. The authors estimate the trade gains and GDP gains from a prospective Doha deal that "tops up" existing commitments to liberalize agriculture, manufactures, and services. They also suggest what each of the major trading nations needs to do to ensure the successful completion of a Doha package that is both ambitious and balanced between the interests of developed and developing countries.

This work seeks to look beyond the seemingly endless deadlock in the WTO's Doha round of trade negotiations that began in November 2001 and were first scheduled to conclude by January 1, 2005. Each essay explores an area of critical importance to the round; and together they stand as an important contribution to debates not only about the Doha round but also about the role of trade in the amelioration of poverty in the poorest countries.

The world economic order has been upended by the rise of the BRIC nations and the attendant decline of the United States' international influence. In Breaking the WTO, Kristen Hopewell provides a groundbreaking analysis of how these power shifts have played out in one of the most important theaters of global governance: the World Trade Organization. Hopewell argues that the collapse of the Doha Round negotiations in 2008 signals a crisis in the American-led project of neoliberal globalization. Historically, the U.S. has pressured other countries to open their markets while maintaining its own protectionist policies. Over the course of the Doha negotiations, however, China, India, and Brazil challenged America's hypocrisy. They did so not because they rejected the multilateral trading system, but because they embraced neoliberal rhetoric and sought to lay claim to its benefits. By demanding that all members of the WTO live up to the principles of "free trade," these developing states caused the negotiations to collapse under their own contradictions. Breaking the WTO probes the tensions between the WTO's liberal principles and the underlying reality of power politics, exploring what the Doha conflict tells us about the current and coming balance of power in the global economy.

The role of trade in promoting international development is becoming increasingly important in our globalised world, and the global trading system has the potential to help the world's poor if trading inequities can be remedied. This publication examines the key trade issues relevant to the ongoing multilateral trade negotiations and the evolution of the world trading system as a means to address barriers to growth in developing countries, focusing on the Doha Round. Issues discussed include: potential gains from trade liberalisation for developed and developing countries; reforming trade in agriculture as a key to the success of the Doha Round; markets for manufacturing and services; trade facilitation, TRIPs and the regulatory agenda; the role of regional trade agreements; and issues of aid for trade, in order to help low-income countries develop the infrastructure needed to participate in the global economy and benefit from new market opportunities.

Argues that prosperity has rarely, if ever, been achieved or sustained without trade. Trade alone, however, is not enough; policies targeting employment, education, health and other issues are also needed to promote well-being and tackle the challenges of a globalised economy.

One of the first analyses of the impact of US-China rivalry on the governance of global trade.

The Doha Round is the first major trade negotiation round under the WTO since the failure of the Seattle Ministerial in 1999. The Doha discussions and results will have a large impact on the future of international trade law. Leading scholars and practitioners from three continents comment on four such areas in this book. Firstly, poverty eradication, capacity building, and special and differential treatment are required to change for WTO law to be accepted globally; this may lead to a reinterpretation of WTO law. Secondly, the major trade policy concerns, the global concept of competition, and the impacts of trade facilitation and of sustainability of trade liberalization are examined. The third topic is the improvement of the dispute settlement through, for example, a relaxation of tensions between the judicial and diplomatic models. Finally, possible solutions for the balance between free trade, environmental protection and human rights are explored.