World Trade Organization: Very Short Introduction by Amrita Narlikar

The World Trade Organization: A Very Short Introduction by Amrita Narlikar is a concise and comprehensive overview of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The book provides an in-depth look at the history, structure, and functioning of the WTO, as well as its mandate and objectives. It also examines the politics behind the organization and how it has evolved over time.

Narlikar begins by exploring the history of international trade negotiations since World War II, from Bretton Woods to the current Doha round, and how these influenced the structure of GATT (the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs) and then, after 1994, the WTO itself. She then delves into the structures of the GATT and WTO, showing how despite their simple majority-rule decision making process, the de facto principle has always been for all countries present at a trade discussion to reach an agreement by consensus about new rules.

The author also looks at the failure of the International Trade Organization (ITO) and how the more limited GATT became the foundation for world trade negotiations for the next 50 years. She then examines the WTO’s increasingly intimate role in the national lives of all its member countries, including its Dispute Settlement Mechanism which evaluates whether national health regulations have a scientific basis or are merely a sub rosa means of restricting international competitors.

Finally, Narlikar focuses on the need to open up the WTO to more participants, particularly those from the Third World who often lack the resources to participate in trade debates that might have some interest for them.

Overall, this book provides an interesting example of how bureaucratic processes and seemingly insignificant rules have a real effect on world governance. It gives readers a better understanding of the WTO and the politics that underlie its origins, functioning, and evolution.

Useful Takeaways

• History of international trade negotiations since World War II
• Structure and functioning of the WTO
• Politics behind the organization and how it has evolved over time
• Failure of the International Trade Organization (ITO)
• WTO’s increasingly intimate role in the national lives of all its member countries
• Need to open up the WTO to more participants, particularly those from the Third World

What I Liked

Excellent part of an excellent series. I liked how the book really explains not only how the WTO works, but also how it impacts individuals – and why it’s been a cherished goal for decades.

What I Did Not Like

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Takeaways

Not a whole lot – solid, quick read all around.