During the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, which took place from November 9th to 14th, 2001 in Doha, Qatar, a new round of WTO trade talks was initiated and became known as the Doha Round. Against the background of the September 11th terrorist attacks that had just occurred, a powerful message of stability and prosperity to the international community was to be delivered (Cho, 2007). Therefore, the aim was to boost growth, alleviate poverty, deliver more relevant trade rules and thus help to establish a more stable and certain foundation for today’s dynamic global marketplace (Lamy, 2007). The round was set to be concluded by December 2006 but to date, the parties involved have still not been able to reach a consensus on a large proportion of the issues that were planned to be resolved. The goal of this paper is to evaluate the aims of the Doha Round under the aspect of their feasibility, and then, to discuss the reasons for the enduring impasse of the negotiations.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- The Aims of the Doha Round
- Agriculture
- Services
- Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA)
- Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement)
- Singapore Issues
- The Development of the Doha Round
- Evaluation of the Aims and Discussion of Further Problems
- Agricultural Liberalization and the Blocs
- Being a Trade Round and a Development Round
- Regional Trade Agreements
- Increased Negotiating Power of Developing Countries
- WTO Complexity
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
The primary objective of this paper is to analyze the aims of the Doha Round of WTO trade talks, evaluating their feasibility and exploring the reasons behind the ongoing impasse in negotiations. The paper examines the progress of the negotiations and discusses the challenges encountered in achieving a consensus among participating countries.
- Feasibility of the Doha Round's aims
- The interplay between trade and development goals
- The influence of regional trade agreements
- The shifting negotiating power of developing countries
- The complexities of the WTO negotiation process
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
Introduction: This introductory section sets the stage for the paper by outlining the context of the Doha Round, initiated at the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization in 2001. It highlights the round's ambitious goals of promoting global growth, poverty reduction, and creating a more stable international trading environment. The introduction also notes the significant delays and the lack of consensus reached by December 2006, highlighting the ongoing impasse despite resumed negotiations. The paper's objective is clearly stated: to evaluate the Doha Round's aims and discuss the reasons for the persistent stalemate. The structure of the paper is also laid out.
The Aims of the Doha Round: This chapter details the original aims of the Doha Round as outlined in the Ministerial Declaration and the Doha Development Agenda (DDA). It breaks down the objectives into key areas: agriculture (focused on improving market access, reducing subsidies, and providing special treatment for developing countries), services (continuing negotiations under the General Agreement on Trade in Services – GATS), non-agricultural market access (NAMA, aiming to reduce tariffs and non-tariff barriers), Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement, focusing on balancing access to medicines with intellectual property rights), and the "Singapore Issues" (initially including trade and investment, competition policy, government procurement, and trade facilitation, with only trade facilitation remaining a key agenda item).
The Development of the Doha Round: This chapter would likely trace the timeline of negotiations, detailing key events, discussions, and breakthroughs (or lack thereof). It would probably analyze the evolving dynamics between developed and developing countries, and the impact of various political and economic factors on the progress of the round. This section would provide essential context for understanding the ultimate failure to achieve a complete agreement within the initially envisioned timeframe.
Evaluation of the Aims and Discussion of Further Problems: This section forms the core analysis of the paper. It delves into a critical evaluation of the feasibility of the Doha Round's objectives. This involves a nuanced discussion of the inherent conflicts and challenges, particularly focusing on agricultural liberalization, the tension between trade and development objectives, the impact of regional trade agreements, the rise in negotiating power of developing countries, and the increasing complexity of the WTO's processes. The analysis would likely demonstrate how these factors contributed to the failure to achieve a comprehensive agreement.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Doha Round, World Trade Organization (WTO), trade negotiations, agricultural liberalization, services trade, non-agricultural market access (NAMA), TRIPS Agreement, development round, trade and development, regional trade agreements, negotiating power, WTO complexity, impasse.
FAQ: Comprehensive Language Preview of the Doha Round
What is this document about?
This document provides a comprehensive overview of the Doha Round of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations. It includes a table of contents, objectives and key themes, chapter summaries, and keywords. The main focus is on analyzing the aims of the Doha Round, evaluating their feasibility, and exploring the reasons for the ongoing impasse in negotiations.
What are the main objectives and key themes of the Doha Round as discussed in this document?
The primary objective is to analyze the feasibility of the Doha Round's aims and the reasons behind the negotiation standstill. Key themes include the interplay between trade and development goals, the influence of regional trade agreements, the shifting negotiating power of developing countries, and the complexities of the WTO negotiation process.
What are the key areas addressed in the Doha Round's aims?
The Doha Round's aims encompass several key areas: agriculture (market access, subsidies, special treatment for developing countries), services (GATS negotiations), non-agricultural market access (NAMA – reducing tariffs and non-tariff barriers), Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement – balancing access to medicines with IP rights), and the Singapore Issues (initially including trade and investment, competition policy, government procurement, and trade facilitation; with only trade facilitation remaining a key agenda item).
What are the chapter summaries provided in this document?
The document offers summaries for each chapter: The introduction sets the context and objective; "The Aims of the Doha Round" details the round's specific goals in various sectors; "The Development of the Doha Round" outlines the negotiation timeline and dynamics; and "Evaluation of the Aims and Discussion of Further Problems" provides a critical analysis of the feasibility of the Doha Round's objectives, highlighting challenges and conflicts such as agricultural liberalization, the tension between trade and development, the impact of regional agreements, and the complexities of the WTO process.
What are the key challenges and problems discussed regarding the Doha Round?
The document highlights several challenges: Agricultural liberalization and the conflicts between blocs, the tension between the Doha Round being both a trade and development round, the influence of regional trade agreements, the increased negotiating power of developing countries, and the inherent complexity of the WTO negotiation process itself. These factors contributed significantly to the failure to reach a comprehensive agreement within the expected timeframe.
What are the keywords associated with the Doha Round and its analysis?
Keywords include: Doha Round, World Trade Organization (WTO), trade negotiations, agricultural liberalization, services trade, non-agricultural market access (NAMA), TRIPS Agreement, development round, trade and development, regional trade agreements, negotiating power, WTO complexity, and impasse.
What is the overall conclusion (implied) of the document regarding the Doha Round?
While not explicitly stated as a conclusion, the document strongly implies that the Doha Round's ambitious aims faced significant obstacles due to complex inter-related factors, leading to a prolonged impasse and ultimately, a failure to achieve a comprehensive agreement.
- Quote paper
- Lukas Geise (Author), 2007, The Doha Round - Ambitious Aims, Enduring Impasse, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/92095
