ABSTRACT
The North-South Dialogue is virtually moribund, appearances or rhetoric to the contrary notwithstanding. Both sides are extremely unhappy with the state of affairs, although they attribute responsibility differently and disagree about what needs to be done to engender real progress. This chapter discusses the political and economic dynamics within the various multilateral settings of the Dialogue and the relationship between what happens in, say, Geneva and New York and what happens in, say, New Delhi, Lima, or Abidjan. There is persuasive evidence that the Dialogue looks considerably different from Lima, Accra, or New Delhi than it does from Geneva or New York. One of the major consequences of the Dialogue is that it tends to force concentration on one bargaining relationship and, consequently, to ignore other North-South relationships or to force them into the province of "special relationships" or bilateral "deals".
