Abstract
The recent failure of the Seattle ministerial conference has raised several questions on the future of the global trading environ ment and the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in it. A large segment of the global population desires a moratorium on the newer issues to be brought under the WTO while the developed world is all for strengthening and widening the WTO's activities. The developing countries (DCs), in particular, have expressed wide-ranging apprehensions regarding the function ing of the WTO. It is in this context that the present article examines the factors contributing to the Seattle failure and its consequences. It suggests a three-forked strategy for the DCs in the course of the forthcoming ministerial conference and thereafter. The strategy includes exposing weaknesses and drawbacks of the Uruguay round agreements; highlighting protec tionist behaviour of the developed world and continuing with their fight against the non-trade related issues. Unite or perish will be the ultimate mantra for the DCs' success in the global negotiations.
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