The economic prospects of developing and developed countries alike are being shaped by the international negotiations in progress at the World Trade Organization (WTO) about trade, services, investment and intellectual property rights. Based on interviews with people actually participating, this remarkable book lifts the shroud of secrecy surrounding these ostensibly democratic negotiations. It reveals:

• The preferred mode of negotiation is behind closed doors
• Decisions are often being made without the full approval of developing countries

• The poorest and smallest countries do not have the capacity to participate effectively
• Illegitimate pressures are brought to bear, and inducements offered, by the US and EU countries
• The least developed countries have been stabbed in the back over crucial negotiating positions

Contents

Introduction
Is the WTO democratic to a Fault? A discussion.
Delegates comment on the "democracy" at the WTO - The Secretariat - Accessions - Dispute Settlement Body - The Role of Multinationals

1. FORMAL WTO STRUCTURES
- The Membership - The Secretariat - The General Council - Ministerial Meetings - The GATT and the WTO - Trade Rounds: Focus on the Uruguay Round - Summary of Negotiating Topics

2. PRELUDE TO BEDLAM - MINI MINESTERIAL MEETINGS
The Prelude to Bretton Woods - Widening the Circle - The Mexico Mini-Ministerial - From Mexico to Singapore - Singapore - The Location for the 4th Ministerial - From Singapore to Doha - After Singapore - A Rules-Based Organisation? - "A Balance of Unhappiness?" - Stuart Harbinson: the Case for the Defense - The New Issues - Conclusion

3. A CONTROLLED BEDLAM - MINESTERIAL MEETINGS
The Bretton Woods Conference - Doha, Qatar WTO 4th Ministerial Meeting (November 2001) - Thursday the 8th - Friday the 9th - Saturday the 10th - Sunday the 11th - Monday the 12th - Tuesday the 13th - The Green Room Meeting - 13th to 14th - Comments on the Resurfacing of the Green Room - Final Hours in the Green Room - Wednesday the 14th - The final Committee of the Whole Meeting - Wednesday the 14th pm

4. POST CONFERENCE REFLECTIONS
- Post Bretton Woods - Post Doha - What did the US achieve? - What did the EC achieve? - What did the WTO Director General and Secretariat Staff achieve? - Other International Secretariats - Developing Countries: A Profit and Loss Account - Reactions from Least Developed Country Delegates - Reactions from Middle Income Developing Country Delegates - India: Post Doha Comments - Reactions from the Like Minded Group - The Final Twist - US Steel Tariffs and Farm Bill - Conclusion? - Anecdote: Doha by Night - An NGO representative's perspective

5. ARM-TWISTING AND THREATS - A NORTH VERSUS SOUTH ISSUE?
"Diplomatic" Exchanges between two Friendly Nations - The Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) - a tool for Arm-twisting? - Arm-twisting Country Profiles - Conclusion

6. THE WTO SECRETARIAT WOLVES IN SHEEP CLOTHING
Selection process of the WTO Director General in September 1999 - Mike Moore WTO Director General - A profile according to delegates - The "neutrality" of the Secretariat - Geographical Diversity and Recruitment at the Secretariat - Selection of Committee Chairs and the Trade Negotiations Committee - Conclusion: Webs of Coercion, the Quad and the Secretariat

7 SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES - UPDATE ON THE NEGOTIATIONS

8. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Deception at Doha - Benefits of the WTO - Delegates Views - External and Internal Transparency -
Recommendations: At the Official level - The WTO Process, At the Subterranean level - The Arm-twisting Process, At the Ideological level - Trade liberalization, Development and Poverty Reduction

About the Authors
FATOUMATA JAWARA is a freelance international trade and development analyst and researcher, who has worked for a number of developmental organisations, including, in the UK, the Catholic Institute for International Relations (CIIR). AILEEN KWA is a research associate with Focus on the Global South, Thailand. She is currently based in Geneva, where she works on WTO issues pertaining to developing countries.