Furthermore, the causes of and possible solutions to unsustainable foreign debt, the widening gap between rich and poor and the absence of equitable multilateral trade, investment and financial systems implies that it is increasingly impossible to assume that the Governments of developing countries can act in isolation to eradicate poverty. The insistence of affluent countries on asymmetrical protection of their markets through tariffs, quotas, anti-dumping duties, export credits, as well as subsidies to domestic producers greatly impairs export opportunities for poor countries and regions. The Economic Journal, vol.