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The WTO can be a good supporting actor on trade
Its shortcomings do not mean it should be ignored or unwound.
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Delegates attend the World Trade Organisation 14th ministerial meeting in Yaounde, Cameroon, on March 28.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Wendy Cutler
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer could not have been clearer regarding his views on the World Trade Organization (WTO). Having just returned from a critical four-day meeting of the world’s trade ministers in Cameroon, he did not mince words in a recent op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, calling the WTO “ineffective and dysfunctional” and on a path to irrelevance.
To many observers, his cutting words were not a surprise. In this and other recent engagements, he has consistently raised concerns regarding the core WTO principles and rules governing a range of issues, including decision-making, developing country status, the most-favoured nation (MFN) approach, and dispute settlement.
