T S Vishwanath: Tough nuts in Doha talks
The run-up to the G20 meeting in Seoul, South Korea in November will be busy for members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Starting mid-September, various small group meetings will be convened in Geneva to discuss and possibly resolve the outstanding issues in the Doha Round so that the political leaders of the G20 countries can provide a [...]
Protectionism in check
Although the global economic recovery after the recession has been fragile and uneven, trade among countries has bounced back after a sharp decline a year ago. Between October, 2008 and January, 2009, global goods trade dropped by nearly 20 per cent. Several factors that were behind last year's plunge assume significance in the context of the [...]
Winning Formula
India and the 27-nation European Union resolved last week to speed up talks so as to ink a free trade agreement by end-2010. The October date needs keeping, since a trade pact has been hanging fire since 2007. If the FTA means $9 billion worth of immediate business for India, the gains aren't just on one side. The world's second fastest growing [...]
A Chance for the Bluefin
There finally may be a reprieve for the bluefin tuna of the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic, which are spiraling rapidly downward toward commercial extinction. On Wednesday, the Obama administration endorsed a ban on international trade in these fish. It must use all of its influence to get the European Union and others to follow. Delegates [...]
Karel De Gucht: Bowled over by trade
In my first official visit to India as European trade commissioner, I intend to talk to commerce minister Anand Sharma about two of India’s main concerns: cricket and trade. As a Fleming, I was struck to learn that recent research has linked the development of cricket to Flemish weavers who settled in England from the 14th century . Today, [...]
Protectionism’s Other Names
Lagging employment recovery and continuing high levels of unemployment have marked the macroeconomic scenario in the United States. So, it is natural that the United States, which chaired the G-20 meeting in Pittsburgh, would use its privileged position as the host to invite the US secretary of labour, a well-known union activist, to convene a [...]
Deepak Lal: Afghan, Taliban and drugs
After some dithering, US President Barack Obama has accepted the advice of his generals to add to the number of US troops in Afghanistan to drive the Taliban out of Helmand province. Once secured, the troops would maintain a presence whilst the police and development agencies moved in to restore the authority of the Afghan government, and provide [...]
Arindam Bhattacharya: To Trade or Not to Trade?
The economic crisis saw global trade, which had been one of the biggest contributors to global gross domestic product (GDP) growth, contract by over 10 per cent even as global GDP fell by 4 per cent from the heady days of 2006 and 2007. The pre-crisis global trade flows had underlined a dramatic economic, and by implication, geo-political shift [...]
Salman Haidar: Friction between the Titans
Relations between China and the USA, despite periods of convergence and cooperation, have never quite lost their edginess. China is a fast growing power which is not shy of pursuing its own goals and interests. Its relations with the USA do not ordinarily spill over into confrontation, though that can happen, and currently there is a recrudescence [...]
Opportunity Knocks
Turkey has traditionally not figured much on the Indian diplomatic radar and vice versa. But a rapidly changing world order offers opportunities for both countries to collaborate on a range of issues, especially on countering terrorism and enhancing economic ties. The grounds for greater engagement seem to have been prepared during Turkish [...]