| Genes, Trade, and Regulation: The Seeds of Conflict in Food Biotechnology Subjects: Food industry and trade -- Government policy -- United States; Biotechnology industries -- Government policy -- United States; Genetic engineering industry -- Government policy -- United States; Agricultural biotechnology -- Government policy -- United St; Agricultural (or "green") biotechnology is a source of growing tensions in the global trading system, particularly between the United States and the European Union. Genetically modified food faces an uncertain future. The technology behind it might revolutionize food production around the world. Or it might follow the example of nuclear energy, which declined from a symbol of socioeconomic progress to become one of the most unpopular and uneconomical innovations in history. Thomas Bernauer is Professor of Political Science at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) and a widely published author on international economic and environmental issues. |