ABSTRACT
The future ofthe world trading system is shrouded in fog even though a 'round' was launched at the ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Doha in November 2001. (The term 'round' was not used because it has become politically incorrect in some WTO circles.) In order to understand why this is so, it is essential to understand the current context of the trade policy process and the implication of the transformative changes of the 1990s. Three aspects of the new and evolving trade policy template are discussed in this chapter: the political economy, the ambience, and the rise of new actors in the policy-making process.
