The white house had better jump-start the doha round of trade talks. It must give the process a sense of urgency, just as it has finally done with the small but symbolically important Central American Free Trade Agreement (Cafta). Otherwise, for the first time since the Second World War, a major global trade initiative could falter, thereby giving antigrowth, politically destabilizing protectionist forces a lethal lease on life. Global trade negotiations are becoming a more laborious process, thanks to the scores of nations involved. But even so, this round has been particularly cumbersome because of strategic mistakes made by both developed and developing countries, particularly in the always-sensitive area of agriculture. Only recently, for instance, have negotiators come up with a complex formula for putting an economic value on the cost of particular agricultural tariffs. This technical, tedious piece of business should've been wrapped up a couple of years ago.
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