Fresh blood

TRADE talks are threatening to become sexy again. Frustrated by the moribund Doha round of trade liberalisation, which has been stuck in a cul-de-sac since 2008, the world’s rich economies have gone their own way. America and the European Union will soon get busy on an alluring Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP): axeing non-tariff barriers between the two could boost output by perhaps 3%. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), free-trade negotiations involving a dozen countries, looks increasingly enticing with the arrival of new participants, notably Japan. Yet rekindled interest in trade talks does not amount to full-throated support for renewed liberalisation. Whether it leads to real progress may hinge on two changes among the world’s leading trade officials.

On May 2nd the White House announced the nomination of Michael Froman, now deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs, to the position of United States trade representative. Barack Obama, who set trade as a second-term priority in his state-of-the-union speech in February, looks to be showing his commitment to the task with the selection. Mr Froman, a close adviser, will be assumed to have the president’s ear. Just as important, he is a seasoned negotiator.