Davids Join Hands to Take on Goliath in the Battle on Agriculture

Abstract Agriculture has remained one of the most contested issues in the multilateral trade negotiations at the GATT and the WTO. High stakes were involved for both developed and developing countries on the negotiations on the Agreement on Agriculture during the Doha Round of WTO negotiations. Retaining the right to subsidize their agriculture and agri-business but seeking to prise open the markets of developing countries was the main objective of the USA-EU combine. On the other hand, many developing countries sought to convince the developed countries to cut their agriculture subsidies, while seeking to protect their own farmers from subsidised imports from other countries. With the USA and the EU joining hands on this issue to protect their interests during the Doha Round of negotiations, developing countries were yet again at the risk of being compelled to agree to trade rules that were against their interest. This chapter describes the crisis that confronted developing countries in WTO agriculture negotiations and how it resulted in the creation of G-20, a coalition of developing countries. It provides a fascinating account of how this coalition, led by Brazil and India, overcame the power asymmetry and turned the tables on the USA-EU combine. This chapter brings out the negotiating strategies deployed by the G-20 coalition and draws valuable lessons for creating and nurturing an effective coalition at the negotiating table.