A Reuters story today is titled, "Blair says coming weeks are make-or-break for WTO." Blair is quoted as saying: "The reality is that if we don't get ... the headline agreement in the next two to three weeks then we won't do it." This sounded very familiar to me, so I did some searches in Google's news archives:
- From the Guardian in January 2001: "Make-or-break move for trade pact." ("Pascal Lamy, the EU's trade commissioner, said: 'The multilateral trading system has a future but it is a future which will be decided this year.'")
- The Age in June 2004: "Trade meeting could make or break." ("Australia will join four of the world's most important trading nations this weekend in a meeting that could make or break the current round of trade talks.")
- Taipei Times in December 2005: "Hong Kong talks are make-or-break for both WTO and Lamy." ("Global trade talks opening in Hong Kong next week will seriously test the credibility of the WTO and Pascal Lamy, its director-general.")
- BusinessWorld in June 2006: "Trade body in make or break aggie deal." ("It's another make or break weekend as the World Trade Organization (WTO) firms up discussions in Geneva on tariffs for the controversial agriculture sector.")
