Steeled for delay

As the US looks keener than ever to spark a trade war, starting with its tariffs on steel and aluminium, it would seem that the dream of a multilateral set of global trade rules is a thing of the past. But undeterred, World Trade Organisation directorgeneral Roberto Azevedo delivered a keynote speech this week asking “What Road Ahead for WTO?” Meanwhile, New Zealand has dutifully asked to be exempt from the tariffs, and found itself lining up with many other countries. United States trade officials reportedly have no idea how to handle the many requests, and