WTO is not about managed trade

There is no lack of candidates on whom to pin the blame for the World Trade Organization's abject failure to launch a new round in Seattle last week. The meeting's agenda was not only over-ambitious, but also, it was mined with too many contentious issues.

The consequences of the Seattle round's failure are clear.

Now, protectionism is to be expected of labor groups, which see their interests threatened by foreign competition. What is more problematic is the U.S. government's refusal to take a strong stance in favor of free trade. By raising the possibility of sanctions to punish infringements of labor standards, Mr. Clinton, indeed, made a case for managed trade. That is not what the WTO is about.

--The Straits Times, Singapore,