Doha world trade talks collapse in blow to globalisation

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By Edmund Conway Economics Editor

Last Updated: 8:02pm BST 29/07/2008

The Doha round of world trade talks has collapsed in what one former trade chief called the biggest blow to globalisation since the end of the Cold War.

An emergency World Trade Organisation summit aimed at resuscitating the seven-year long talks broke down in acrimony last night.

Negotiators warned that there was now little or no chance of salvaging the talks, which promised to bring down trade tariffs, pull millions out of poverty and keep food and goods prices under control.

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The Latin Americanist: New report blasts trade policies

A report released last week by the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and the Global Development and Environment Institute (GDAE) at Tufts University takes aim at the US trade policies in the region.

The report, titled The Promise and the Perils of Agricultural Trade Liberalization: Lessons from Latin America, reviews a number of real-life impacts of US-influenced trade policies that negatively affect the immigration (mostly via NAFTA) and small-scale farmers across the region.

The report makes a strong case for considering the human effects of trade policies designed predominantly to spur growth and productivity for the "haves" of the hemisphere.

According to WOLA's press release:

“This report comes at an important time...WOLA’s Policy makers in the region, and the U.S., have to re-think the whole package of policies they’ve adopted in recent years. The new administration and Congress will have the opportunity to reconsider U.S. support for trade liberalization policies and move toward financially supporting small producers who supply local and regional markets.”

The release of the report happened to coincide with President Bush's renewed urging of Congress this week to pass the pending trade agreement with Colombia that has been stalled for months.