What is the Doha Round, and why do we hear it mentioned so often?
The Doha Round of trade negotiations, which has been underway since 2001, is the most recent series of meetings in which the countries that belong to the WTO are reviewing the existing rules of international trade as set in the Uruguay Round Agreement and considering what, if any, changes are merited. (Rounds of trade negotiations are generally named after the place where the round is launched, in this case, Doha , Qatar .) Until the 149 member countries participating in this round reach consensus on changes to be made, the rules of international trade defined in the Uruguay Round Agreement will continue in effect. While the round is attempting to further liberalize trade in manufactured products, there is special emphasis in this round on reducing barriers to trade in agriculture and services. Conceptually the Uruguay Round went a long way in bringing trade in agricultural products under the rules-based WTO system, however the agreement was riddled with loopholes, and in reality very
