Rising powers, reforming challenges: negotiating agriculture in the WTO Doha Round from a Brazilian perspective
2011
B. Baracuhy
This article examines the history of the WTO Doha Round agriculture negotiations from 2001 to 2011 in light of the shifting global balance of economic power. It shows that the rise of China, Brazil and India, among other developing countries, had an impact on the negotiations and affected the negotiating structure, processes and decision-making. The article reveals how the process of reforming the multilateral trade regime changed from past bipolar economic world of the GATT (the United States and European Union preponderance) into a multipolar economic world with the rise of emerging powers. It argues that in the past, asymmetries of power were a necessary component to the updating of the trade regime; today, reforms need to take place in the shadow of an increasingly more symmetric balance of geo-economic power and interests. The article warns that the multilateral system should not be taken for granted: it requires leadership and continuous adaptation to be preserved.
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