World Trade Organization: law, economics, and politics

1. A very brief history of the trading system -- 2. The WTO in a nutshell -- 3. Trade in goods -- 4. Services, intellectual property, and plurilateral agreements -- 5. Dispute settlement and transparency -- 6. Developing countries and the multilateral trading system -- 7. Whither the trading system?.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is one of the most important international organizations in existence today. It contains a set of disciplines that affect the ability of governments to impose trade restrictions, and has helped to support the steady expansion of international trade since the 1950s. It is a unique organization in providing a framework for member states to make binding policy commitments that are enforced through a unique dispute settlement system and a variety of transparency mechanisms. Despite - or because of - its success, the WTO has recently become the focus of vociferous