The economic crisis, Doha completion, and protectionist pressure

The economic crisis, Doha completion, and protectionist pressure
Joseph Francois, 17 December 2008
The worry about protectionism should not be centred on completing the Doha Round. This column suggests 80% of world trade is locked-in under legally binding tariffs and the real worry is that of excessive use of antidumping, countervailing duty, and safeguard protection, misguided public subsidies, rising protection in the poorest countries, and temptation in the US Congress to violate existing treaty commitments.