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IPFS News Link • Free Trade

Doha Dies Well-Deserved Death?

• http://dailybell.ch/
 

The Doha round Dead man talking ... Ten years of trade talks have sharpened divisions, not smoothed them ... It was meant to be the beginning of the end. For months, insiders at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva have argued that the release of a revised set of negotiating texts in the Doha round of trade talks was a necessary condition for a deal by the end of 2011. Necessary, perhaps, but hardly sufficient. The documents came out on April 21st but in a blunt assessment of the state of affairs, Pascal Lamy (left), the head of the WTO, pointed to "a clear political gap" which "is not bridgeable." A deal this year is in "serious doubt," he suggested. – Economist

Dominant Social Theme: More effort is necessary.

Free-Market Analysis: One of the big myths about Western capitalism is that the powers-that-be have negotiated and honored free-trade agreements. In fact, the West functions with managed trade agreements, which are a good deal different that free-trade agreements.

The so-called Doha talks are part of the managed-trade process and watching them wither and die is a gratifying prospect for anyone concerned with real trade freedom. It is in fact a dominant social theme that only governments can negotiate proper free markets.

The Western powers that be continue to push Doha because global government demands global trade. Global trade is very important to global government. The Economist points out that the last big push to complete the "round" failed in 2008, and renewed efforts have not brought success either. Good