• Research
  • Diwan
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Middle East logoCarnegie lettermark logo
PalestineSyria
{
  "authors": [
    "John Audley",
    "George Perkovich",
    "Sandra Polaski",
    "Scott Vaughan"
  ],
  "type": "other",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [],
  "topics": [
    "Economy",
    "Trade"
  ]
}
REQUIRED IMAGE

REQUIRED IMAGE

Other

Decoding Cancun: Hard Decisions for a Development Round

WTO negotiators will meet in Cancun, Mexico, in September amid competing claims regarding what steps are necessary to make trade serve development goals. The authors outline the policies that governments and international institutions will need to avoid a debacle at Cancun and to assist developing countries in achieving long-lasting growth.

Link Copied
By Mr. John Audley, George Perkovich, Ms. Sandra Polaski, Mr. Scott Vaughan
Published on Aug 12, 2003

Following the riotous 1999 meeting in Seattle, and a near failure in Doha in 2001, the World Trade Organization dedicated the current round of trade liberalization talks to "development." Negotiators will meet in Cancun, Mexico, in September amid competing claims regarding what steps are necessary to make trade serve development goals. The catch phrases of international trade—"comparative advantage," "the development round," "trade not aid," and "level playing field"—hide tough choices for both developing and developed country governments. Getting trade rules right is not sufficient for development, but getting them wrong can cripple it. The authors outline the policies that governments and international institutions will need to avoid a debacle at Cancun and to assist developing countries in achieving long-lasting growth.

A limited number of print copies are available.
Request a copy

About the Authors
John Audley
is senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment, where he directs the Trade, Equity, and Development Project.

George Perkovich is vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment.

Sandra Polaski is senior associate in the Trade, Equity, and Development Project and Scott Vaughan is a visiting scholar with the Project.

About the Authors

Mr. John Audley

Former Senior Associate

George Perkovich

Japan Chair for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, Senior Fellow

George Perkovich is the Japan Chair for a World Without Nuclear Weapons and a senior fellow in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Nuclear Policy Program. He works primarily on nuclear deterrence, nonproliferation, and disarmament issues, and is leading a study on nuclear signaling in the 21st century.

Ms. Sandra Polaski

Former Senior Associate, Director, Trade, Equity and Development Program

Until April 2002, Polaski served as the U.S. Secretary of State’s Special Representative for International Labor Affairs, the senior State Department official dealing with such matters.

Mr. Scott Vaughan

Former Visiting Scholar

Authors

Mr. John Audley
Former Senior Associate
George Perkovich
Japan Chair for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, Senior Fellow
George Perkovich
Ms. Sandra Polaski
Former Senior Associate, Director, Trade, Equity and Development Program
Sandra Polaski
Mr. Scott Vaughan
Former Visiting Scholar
EconomyTrade

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Unpacking Lebanon’s Gap Law

    In an interview, Ishac Diwan looks at the merits and flaws in the draft legislation distributing losses from the financial collapse.

      Michael Young

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Has Sisi Found a Competent Military Entrepreneur?

    Mustaqbal Misr has expanded its portfolio with remarkable speed, but a lack of transparency remains.

      Yezid Sayigh

  • Research
    Arab Diaspora Business Communities in Egypt

    Arab diaspora business communities in Egypt often mirror the same systemic challenges facing Egyptian businesses.

      • +4

      Nur Arafeh, Yezid Sayigh, Qaboul al-Absi, …

  • Article
    Saudi Arabia in Africa: Sound Economic and Geopolitical Strategy, or Resource Exploitation?

    Largely characterized thus far by a single-minded focus on extractivism, Riyadh must commit to greater equitability in its approach to investment and development deals with Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.

      Hesham Alghannam

  • A picture taken from a position at the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip shows the destruction due to Israeli bombardment in the besieged Palestinian territory on May 18, 2025
    Article
    Destruction, Disempowerment, and Dispossession: Disaster Capitalism and the Postwar Plans for Gaza

    Once Israel’s war in the territory is brought to an end, the foundational principles guiding reconstruction should be Palestinian self-determination, local agency, and sovereignty.

      Nur Arafeh, Mandy Turner

Get more news and analysis from
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Carnegie Middle East logo, white
  • Research
  • Diwan
  • About
  • Experts
  • Projects
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.