China's transition from a statist to market economy over the past 15 years and its successful establishment of globally competitive industry are unprecedented historical events. Although China's entry into the WTO is not responsible for that transformation, it has played an important role....

This article addresses the relationship between the GATT, the European Community and other RTAs as and when trade in services and other 'new areas' are incorporated into the GATT framework. The article first discusses the conceptual justifications for RTAs (as an alternative to utopian global...

During the past several years, the United States has concluded a substantial number of bilateral and regional free trade agreements (hereinafter “FTAs”), largely with developing countries. Each of those FTAs includes substantial commitments in the field of intellectual property rights (IPRs)...

The subject of international trade, with its many promises and perils, has spawned a vast body of literature. In “Developing Countries and the Multilateral Trade Regime: The Failure and Promise of the WTO’s Development Mission,” Dr. Donatella Alessandrini reviews the international...

This paper addresses the question of what the current international legal systems concerning subsidies for innovation are and whether these fit the findings of economic analysis. Innovation is a very relevant economic instrument toward increasing the commercial and political competitiveness of...

Agriculture plays a critical role in the majority of African Countries’ economy. The sector is not only a major employer but also a significant source of export earnings and hence it has a high multiplier effect. This very fact makes agricultural market access issues of major concern to...

There are countries that do not fall under the prevailing definitions of developed and developing country that are employed by the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO fails to take into account the special circumstances and needs of these countries. While such special circumstances and needs...

Facilitating economic development of developing countries has become an important agenda in the world trading system today. The growing gaps and disagreements between developed and developing countries on the issues of trade and development has been an important cause of the suspension of the...

This Article, originally presented at a symposium, THE WTO AT A CROSSROADS, in 2004 at the Law Faculty of Bar Ilan University in Israel, provides a proposal that responds to the problems posed by the increasing prevalence of regional trade agreements. The Article argues that RTAs have tended to...

While the WTO process of multilateral trade liberalization encounters increasing resistance, in part because the most difficult issues have finally risen to the top of the agenda, market-based forces are contributing to international economic integration. One of the most potent are cross-border...