This is from Indian trade lawyer R.V. Anuradha:
It is in this context that the Nairobi Ministerial Declaration’s admission of dissonance in the WTO membership on the ‘Doha mandate’ assumes greater significance. This dissonance is presented in the text of the declaration which records what “many Members” versus “some Members” want. While “many” reaffirm the Doha mandate, the others do not. While “many Members want to carry out the work on the basis of the Doha structure”, “some want to explore new architectures”. And finally, while “some wish to identify and discuss other issues for negotiation” (a reference to issues other than those under the Doha mandate), “others do not”.
For the first time in a Ministerial Declaration adopted by consensus, there is reference to a consensual acknowledgement of divergence of views, which underlies the slow progress of the Doha round. While there is no identification in the declaration, the developing countries, including India, clearly belong to the “many” category, while “some” includes the U.S., the E.U., and other developed countries. The use of the word “many” could perhaps be seen as an implicit recording of a majority view in favour of the Doha mandate. A glimmer of hope, however, remains — that the views of the majority could potentially be tapped for driving at a logical and hopeful conclusion of the Doha mandate.
I've tried to sort out what happens next with Doha, to no avail. If the U.S. and EU do not, in fact, want there to be a Doha round anymore, does it still exist? If not, what do we do now?
