kickAAS: When pigs will fly . . .

September 05, 2003

When pigs will fly . . .

We started this campaign to abolish agricultural subsidies by saying that only the politicians stand in the way of success . Tragically - as the 146 countries line up for next week’s World Trade Organisation summit in Cancun – that is still the case. The intellectual argument has been won. The abolition of subsidies would boost rich nations by releasing $300 billion a year currently squandered on subsidies for other things. More important it would give an unprecedented boost to developing nations who would be able to grow more crops like sugar beet, cereals and cotton where they have a natural advantage if only they were not being undercut, even in their domestic markets by heavily subsidized exports from the West.
While participating in a radio show last night (thank you, North west public radio, Seattle) this question was raised: where is the statesman who could lead us out of this morass in Cancun? President Bush’s popularity is falling and abolishing agricultural subsidies is the very last thing on his mind as he faces elections in the Autumn and the primaries early next year. After, all he reversed his previous hostility to subsidies in the 2002 farm bill by giving farmers an extra $180 billion over the next ten years. Tony Blair, the British prime minister, has the gravitas to do it and is helped by the fact that his government wants production subsidies to be abolished – but he is so pre-occupied by the domestic fall-out from the Iraq war that it would be amazing if he seized the initiative. It would be even better if France took the lead but there is no one in the government strong enough to stand up to the country’s formidable farmers.
Yet, even for President Bush, there could be a silver lining in the clouds. The US has always claimed (with some justification) that it is Europe’s refusal to get rid of its subsidies that is the real problem. If he could get a commitment from Europe to abolish all agricultural subsides within a four or five year period then he could present this as a great victory for US trade policy. And, I promise, pigs will fly.

September 05, 2003 | Permalink

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» Chris Bertram overreaches from Daniel W. Drezner
Crooked Timber's Chris Bertram thinks InstaPundit is slanting his posts. Glenn linked to a Guardian article on agricultural subsidies with the header, "WHY DOES THE EUROPEAN UNION hate the world's poor so much?" Chris observes: [A] more thorough readin... [Read More]

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September 05, 2003

When pigs will fly . . .

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