Couple of articles at odds with one another on the prognosis for free trade, given the current political climate, and the food crisis. The Washington Post has editorialised about why “an obscure Frenchman” – Pascal Lamy, current head of the World Trade Organization – “might be able to save the world. The only question is when he should do it.”
Away from the free-trade leg-humping comes a more sober article from Bloomberg on the fading enthusiasm for free trade. It’s not just that I approve of this particular analysis – Bloomberg has been putting out consistently good stories on the current crisis, involving – gasp – investigative reporting. Pieces like this one on the consequences of World Bank policies in Honduras.