Behind the crisis at the WTO talks

The World Trade Organization's (WTO) trade talks, known as the Doha Development Round, are in crisis. The differences among key countries are so wide that they appear to be "unbridgeable". This became evident from the WTO's latest 600-plus-page report, which was issued last month.

At a meeting on April 29, WTO member states agreed to try again in May to find a political solution, so that a deal could be struck by the end of this year.

The deep impasse has not been caused by technical issues alone. There is a clash of paradigms, too.