Rizqita Cahyani Mulia

81423635
CPEAP - Brief Summary

The Doha Development Agenda had been deadlocked for over a decade. One of the
causes is the dispute regarding the Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) status of India and
other rising power countries. SDT allows developing countries to be exempted from some
obligations. However, the developing countries demand that the rising power countries' status of
SDT be abolished. The developing countries status was self-determined, but the US proposed a
new set of criteria for it.
India’s strategy respond to the US’s new proposed set of criteria:
● Trade-sceptic and defensive narrative. India has made powerful use of a poverty narrative
and argue that it would be grossly unfair if India were required to take the same
obligations as developed countries.
● ‘Distributive strategy’ in its negotiations. Even after some countries have indicated their
willingness to let go of their SDT status, India has persisted in holding on to its claim for
SDT. They described SDT as a ‘non-negotiable right for all developing members’.
● Influencing and coalition strategy. India's arguments gave reason to all developing
countries to give the same vote as India. And India binds themselves with China. China is
India’s rival and is the main target of the US. Were India to disassociate itself from China
and comply with the case for SDT, India might receive a friendlier hearing.
India’s behaviour can be explained by realism theory. India that protects their SDT status
shows that it acts as a state and acts rationally. India that didn’t submit easily to the WTO and the
developed countries demands shows that the international system is anarchy. Then, India that
insists on their own term, strengthening the realist argument that the state is a selfish actor that
pursues their interest and puts their own interest above everything else. If perhaps India complies
with the demand of the developed countries, the DDA might not be locked now. Lastly, with all
the first 3 assumptions of realist view having been fulfilled, we can argue that India does so to
obtain power, which is the last assumption of realist view. Because no state does not want power
to guarantee its survival, it needs power.