ABSTRACT
In this chapter I recount how the focus of the trading system shifted from trade to development or, rather, appeared to do so as exemplified by the Doha Development Agenda (DDA). The transformation of the multilateral trading system (MTS) was the result of the Uruguay Round, one of the unintended consequences of that negotiation being a serious asymmetry between North and South. This background is essential to a fuller understanding of the Doha negotiations and the uncertainty which prevailed at the Hong Kong Ministerial meeting in December 2005. The chapter concludes with some proposals for policy reform of the MTS since, whatever the outcome of the negotiations, the system must be strengthened.
