The Doha Round: “Death-Defying Agenda” or “Don’t Do it Again”?

Almost eight years after the launch of the WTO’s Doha Round, negotiations remain mired in a swamp of detail, with many participants unwilling or unable to make the hard decisions which would bring the Round to a conclusion. G20 leaders renewed at the Pittsburgh summit the call to successfully end the Doha Round, but it remains to be seen if the new call will be more successful than previous G20 declarations. In a new study by ECIPE, Stuart Harbinson takes stock of the Doha Round and examines why WTO members have failed to successfully conclude the Round. Harbinson sets out the main issues for a conclusion of the Round – and for the future agenda of the WTO.