Is More Trade Always Better? The WTO and Human Rights in Conflict Zones

Scholars and policymakers have long believed that the interdependence encouraged by trade relations encourages trust and peaceful relations. In this article, we examine the role of the GATT/WTO (and the trade it supposedly encourages) in conflict zones. We show that policymakers have used several avenues under the WTO to discuss and address human rights in member states during periods of conflict and post-conflict recovery. We then focus on how policymakers can achieve greater coherence among trade and human rights policies in conflict zones