The World Trade Organization (WTO)

The World Trade Organization promotes liberalization by encouraging nations to lower trade barriers and to keep them down. Since its original founding in 1948 as the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade, the GATT/WTO system has seen global tariffs on manufactured goods fall dramatically and global trade volumes grow exponentially, resulting in more freedom and prosperity for hundreds of millions of people.

The WTO's dispute settlement mechanism helps nations resolve trade disputes without resorting to costly trade wars. The system relies on voluntary compliance and does not compromise national sovereignty. The aim of new negotiations should be to lower barriers against trade in agricultural products and services and to limit the widespread abuse of antidumping laws.

America's membership in the WTO has been a double blessing for the United States. The liberalization of markets abroad has created export opportunities for U.S. companies, raising profits, employment, and wages in industries that serve expanding global markets. Meanwhile, WTO membership exerts influence on the U.S. government to keep our own market open to the global economy. American families benefit from this openness through access to a wider range of affordable goods and services, raising the real value of our paychecks. The competition from abroad spurs domestic producers to keep prices down, develop new and better products, and adopt more efficient production. The ability to import raw materials, capital equipment, and intermediate inputs, such as competitively priced steel and semiconductors, lowers the cost of production for U.S. producers and keeps them competitive in global markets.

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The LATEST from the Center for Trade Policy Studies on the World Trade Organization (WTO)

• Obama and Trade: An Alarm Sounds (January 9, 2009)

• Despite Doha collapse, free trade is marching on (August 1, 2008)

• Bad Trade (July 31, 2008)

• Trade, growth: Weep not for Doha (July 20, 2008)

• Raw Deal (December 27, 2007)

MORE from the Center for Trade Policy Studies on the World Trade Organization (WTO)

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Trade Policy Analysis

Trade Policy Analysis no. 33: Leading the Way: How U.S.Trade Policy Can Overcome Doha's Failings by Daniel J. Ikenson (June 19, 2006)

Trade Policy Analysis no. 32: Boxed In: Conflicts Between U.S. Farm Policies and WTO Obligations by Daniel A.Sumner (December 5, 2005)

Trade Policy Analysis no. 30: Ripe for Reform: Six Good Reasons to Reduce U.S. Farm Subsidies and Trade Barriers by Daniel Griswold, Stephen Slivinski, and Christopher Preble (September 5, 2005)

Trade Policy Analysis no. 25. Threadbare Excuses: The Textile Industry's Campaign to Preserve Import Restraints by Dan Ikenson (October 15, 2003)

Trade Policy Analysis no. 23. Whither the WTO? A Progress Report on the Doha Round by Razeen Sally (March 3, 2003)

Trade Policy Analysis no. 17. Safety Valve or Flash Point? The Worsening Conflict between U.S. Trade Laws and WTO Rules by Lewis E. Leibowitz (November 6, 2001)

Trade Policy Analysis no. 10: China's Long March to a Market Economy... by Mark A. Groombridge (April 24, 2000)

Trade Policy Analysis no. 9. Tax Bytes: A Primer on the Taxation of Electronic Commerce by Aaron Lukas (December 17, 1999)

Trade Policy Analysis no. 8. Seattle and Beyond: A WTO Agenda for the New Millennium by Brink Lindsey, Daniel T. Griswold, Mark A. Groombridge, and Aaron Lukas (November 4, 1999)

Trade Briefing Papers

Trade Briefing Paper no. 22. Nonmarket Nonsense: U.S. Antidumping Policy toward China by Daniel Ikenson (March 7, 2005)

Trade Briefing Paper no. 18. Free-Trade Agreements: Steppingstones to a More Open World by Daniel T. Griswold (July 10, 2003)

Trade Briefing Paper no. 14. Steel Trap: How Subsidies and Protectionism Weaken the U.S. Steel Industry by Daniel Ikenson (March 1, 2002)

Trade Briefing Paper no. 10. WTO Report Card III: Globalization and Developing Countries by Aaron Lukas (June 20, 2000)

Trade Briefing Paper no. 9. WTO Report Card II: An Exercise or Surrender of U.S. Sovereignty? by William H. Lash III and Daniel T. Griswold (May 4, 2000)

Trade Briefing Paper no. 8. WTO Report Card: America’s Economic Stake in Open Trade by Daniel T. Griswold (April 3, 2000)

Trade Briefing Paper no. 5. Trade and the Transformation of China: The Case for Normal Trade Relations by Dan Griswold, Ned Graham, Robert Kapp, and Nicholas Lardy (July 19, 1999)

Speeches and Testimony

Is Trade Liberalization a Product of Domestic or International Processes? Lessons from Doha (July 4, 2007)

The WTO After Hong Kong - Where Do We Go From Here (February 14, 2006)

Free Trade Bulletins

Free Trade Bulletin no. 24: U.S. Response to Gambling Dispute Reveals Weak Hand by Sallie James (November 6, 2006)

Free Trade Bulletin no. 18. Shell Games and Fortune Tellers: The Sun Doesn't Set at the Antidumping Circus by Daniel Ikenson (June 20, 2005)

Free Trade Bulletin no. 16. Miracle Down Under: How New Zealand Farmers Prosper without Subsidies or Protection by Thomas Lambie (February 7, 2005)

Free Trade Bulletin no. 11. Zeroing In: Antidumping's Flawed Methodology under Fire by Dan Ikenson (April 27, 2004)

Free Trade Bulletin no. 5. "Byrdening" Relations: U.S. Trade Policies Continue to Flout the Rules by Dan Ikenson (January 13, 2004)

Free Trade Bulletin no. 4. A Clean Escape from $4 Billion in FSC Sanctions by Dan Griswold (May 30, 2003)

Books:

Cato Journal: The Future of the WTO (Winter 2000)

Commentary

Obama and Trade: An Alarm Sounds by Jagdish Bhagwati (January 9, 2009)

Despite Doha collapse, free trade is marching on by Daniel Ikenson (August 1, 2008)

Bad Trade by Daniel Ikenson (July 31, 2008)

Trade, growth: Weep not for Doha by Daniel Ikenson (July 20, 2008)

Raw Deal by Sallie James (December 27, 2007)

A new protectionism: dashed hopes and perhaps worse for US trade policy by Daniel Ikenson (October 26, 2007)

Unfulfilled trade policy by Daniel Ikenson (May 18, 2007)

Record profits finance manufacturing group's anti-China trade campaign by Daniel Griswold (May 11, 2007)

Is trade war between US and China looming? Daniel J. Ikenson (April 15, 2007)

A Trade War Averted by Daniel Ikenson (April 13, 2007)

GATT Turns 60 by Douglas A. Irwin (April 9, 2007)

Is the WTO Dispute Settlement System Fair? by Daniel J. Ikenson (February 26, 2007)

Agriculture and the Doha round By Sallie James (July 14, 2006)

A raspberry for free trade by Sallie James (May 19, 2006)

DOHA Round not yet dead By Sallie James (April 30, 2006)

Six Reasons to Kill Farm Subsidies and Trade Barriers By Daniel Griswold, Stephen Slivinski, and Christopher Preble (February 1, 2006)

The White Witch of Mercantilism By Daniel T. Griswold (December 16, 2005)

Tale of Two Protests By Daniel T. Griswold (December 15, 2005)

Food-for-aid Under Fire by Daniel T. Griswold (December 14, 2005)

Trade Talk Keys in Hong Kong by Daniel T. Griswold (December 14, 2005)

The Great Divide By Daniel T. Griswold (December 13, 2005)

The City That Trade Built By Daniel T. Griswold (December 12, 2005)

Byrd Boondoggle By Daniel Ikenson (December 9, 2005)

Felling NAFTA by Daniel Ikenson (October 24, 2005)

Thumbs Up for U.S. Trade Nominee by Daniel Griswold (March 18, 2005)

Are Trade Deficits Good for the U.S. Economy? (February 15, 2005)

Enter the Protectionist Dragon by Daniel T. Griswold (February 13, 2005)

The Emperor's Same Old Clothe by Dan Ikenson (December 23, 2004)

China and the WTO by Dan Ikenson (December 18, 2004)

How should China and America respond to the age without textile quota by Daniel Ikenson (September 27, 2004)

This Byrd Won't Fly by Dan Ikenson (September 13, 2004)

Reagan Embraced Free Trade and Immigration by Daniel T. Griswold (June 24, 2004)

The Miami Fizzle: What Else but a Cancun Redux? by Brink Lindsey (November 28, 2003)

Risky Textile Policies by Daniel Ikenson (November 16, 2003)

Honorable End to Steel Protectionism By Dan Ikenson (September 6, 2002)

Risky Amendment Threaten Fast Track by Brink Lindsey and Dan Ikenson (May 10, 2002)

Globaloney Dying by Brink Lindsey (February 5, 2002)

Labor and Environment Sanctions Would Poison Trade Talks by Daniel T. Griswold (September 28, 2001)

Dump Antidumping Regs by Dan Ikenson (August 27, 2001)

China's Accession to the WTO: A Winning Outcome for both China and the United States By Mark Groombridge (July 24, 2001)

Steel Trap: How Bush could harm free trade by Brink Lindsey (July 9, 2001)

A Wall of Steel by Daniel T. Griswold (July 8, 2001)

Steel's Deal by Dan Ikenson (June 6, 2001)

The Coming Trans-Atlantic Trade Tussle by Daniel T. Griswold (December 13, 2000)

The Blessings and Challenges of Globalization by Daniel T. Griswold (September 1, 2000)

Explaining the Seattle Debacle by Mark Groombridge (July 5, 2000)

Whatever Happened to "the Giant Sucking Sound"? by Daniel T. Griswold (June 6, 2000)

A Vote for PNTR is a Vote for the U.S. Economy and Chinese Reform by Mark A. Groombridge (May 28, 2000)

Trade with China: Business Profits or Human Rights? by Doug Bandow (May 5, 2000)

WTO Membership Good for California, U.S. Economy by Daniel T. Griswold (April 16, 2000)

Globalphobia in the Streets -- Again by Brink Lindsey (April 15, 2000)

Kick Me, I'm for Free Trade by Brink Lindsey (February 22, 2000)

WTO Critics Trade Away Truth for a Sound Bite by Daniel T. Griswold (January 3, 2000)

Seattle Shouldn't Delete Free E-trade by Aaron Lukas (December 20, 1999)

WTO Bashers Would Slam The Door On The World's Poor by Brink Lindsey (December 2, 1999)

Two Sides to China's WTO Membership by Claude E. Barfield and Mark A. Groombridge (November 22, 1999)

Brussels Sins, Cheese Lovers Do Penance by Aaron Lukas (August 2, 1999)

China: Risky ... or Worthy WTO Bid? by James Dorn (July 26, 1999)

To Promote U.S.-China Trade, Repeal Jackson-Vanik by James Dorn (July 14, 1999)

Advancing Human Rights In China by James Dorn (July 10, 1999)

Clinton's China Blunder by Aaron Lukas (May 28, 1999)

A special-interests victory by James Dorn (April 26, 1999)

Exporting Fair Play With a Global Investment Treaty by Daniel T. Griswold (June 17, 1998)

Admit China To The WTO, But Don't Bend The Rules by Daniel T. Griswold (November 9, 1997)