This paper discusses two recent attempts to develop a theory to analyze the role of the chair in international negotiations and considers their validity to the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations. The focus of the study is on the WTO Agriculture and Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) modalities negotiations after the G4 Potsdam collapse in June 2007 to the July 2008 G7 ministerial meetings. The analysis focuses on the role of the chair of NAMA in biasing the outcomes against the developing countries. The NAMA chair’s role is contrasted with that of the Agriculture chair’s more inclusive and bottom-up process. The paper offers some tentative proposals that could foster a more efficient and balanced outcome in future WTO negotiations.
Journal of World Trade