The world trade system is at a fork in history's road; WTO members cannot avoid Making a choice. / Take the politically expedient path by putting Doha talks on hold, or / Take the leadership path of engaging constructively and creatively in breaking the deadlock. Published ahead of the 29 April 2011 meeting of WTO members in Geneva, this book argues that if the current deadlock - mainly between the US and China - cannot be broken in 2011, no resolution is likely before 2020. US Congressional politics will be much rougher in 2013 - scared by divisive debates over spending and taxes - and the new Chinese government can hardly afford to start off with major tariff concessions to the US. Think of 2013 as 2011 with less goodwill Internationally, more poisonous politics inside the US, and a Chinese leadership that must prove its toughness. Breaking the deadlock would require an expanded negotiating agenda, but this would add years to the talks. The false promise that it would be harmless to allow Doha to languish for years is deeply dangerous, at best. The authors in this volume - trade experts from across the world - identify the perils of allowing Doha to flounder, and the hard choices governments must make to break the deadlock.

In late 2008, as the global financial crisis was spreading, so too was protectionism. Despite pledges by G20 and APEC leaders, tariffs were being raised in developing countries and industrialised nations had launched a slew of investigations into "dumped" imports as a means of justifying tariff hikes. The futility of protectionism in a global recession is not a new lesson now and was not a new lesson then - every world leader is and was well aware of the role protectionism played in exacerbating the Great Depression. But even as the global economy is recovering, leaders continue to find themselves torn. Their heart tells them to help industries and workers under stress; their head tells them protectionism will backfire. This book, first published as an eBook in December 2008, collects essays from world-class economists on what global leaders must do to halt the slide towards protectionism. It identifies three areas where world leaders should act: / World leaders must finalise the WTO's Doha negotiations. WTO rules remain the world's best bulwark against 1930s-style trade wars. / All nations should commit to a standstill on raising their applied tariffs and other forms of protection. / Industrialised and developing nations should refrain from initiating new antidumping cases, and postpone imposing antidumping duties wherever possible - economic nationalism should not be allowed to creep in. With protectionism continuing to threaten global prosperity, many of this book's recommendations hold true today.

The global financial crisis of 2008/9 is the Great Depression of the 21st century. For many though, the similarities stop at the Wall Street Crash as the current generation of policymakers have acted quickly to avoid the mistakes of the past. Yet the global crisis has made room for mistakes all of its own. While governments have apparently kept to their word on refraining from protectionist measures in the style of 1930s tariffs, there has been a disturbing rise in "murky protectionism." Seemingly benign, these crisis-linked policies are twisted to favour domestic firms, workers and investors. This book, first published as an eBook on VoxEU.org in March 2009, brings together leading trade policy practitioners and experts - including Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean and former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo. Initially its aim was to advise policymakers heading in to the G20 meeting in London, but since the threat of murky protectionism persists, so too do their warnings.