War by Other Means

First broadcast January 2007

For decades trade talks were dominated by a few rich countries. Now there's a revolution underway.

In the second part of our series on the politics of international trade, Dr. Ngaire Woods of Oxford University finds out how and why the system is going through a massive upheaval.

The old "Quad" - the US, EU, Japan and Canada - which dominated trade talks now have assertive new counterparts from Brazil and India.

Since the Cancun Summit of 2003, these advanced developing nations have demanded that the rich countries reform their farm trade.

Along with countries like South Africa, they've learned all the tricks of negotations, have formed powerful alliances and have mastered the World Trade Organisation's legal system.

But are they really acting in the interests of poorer countries - or just using them as political pawns? And how will the system change once China starts to assert its massive economic muscle in the arena of trade negotiation?

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