• Washington Post , Wednesday, March 18, 2009 10:45 AM

A new World Bank report underscores a "worrying" trend toward protectionism as countries rush to shield their ailing domestic industries during the global economic crisis, Anthony Faiola reports. It says that at least 17 of the 20 major nations that vowed at a November summit to avoid protectionist steps have violated that promise.

It also comes one day after Mexico vowed to slap new restrictions on 90 U.S. products in retaliation against Washington for canceling a program that allowed Mexican truck drivers the right to transport goods across the United States.

"Leaders must not heed the siren-song of protectionist fixes, whether for trade, stimulus packages or bailouts," says World Bank Group president Robert B. Zoellick. "Economic isolationism can lead to a negative spiral of events such as those we saw in the 1930s," he says, "which made a bad situation much, much worse."

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