The WTO System and the Promotion of Peace, Winter 2002

In a world as uncertain as ours, we need to continually build a climate for peace. WTO’s contribution is best seen in creating a rules-based system to help trade flow smoothly and a constructive and fair process for countries dealing with trade related disputes. The architects of the post second war system have firmly believed that the more countries trade, the less likely they are to war with each other. This vision has proven to be correct. Today there are “trade wars”, but these conflicts are fought out in the meeting rooms of WTO. The Doha Development Agenda which is about providing the world’s poorest countries a hospitable economic climate is an opportunity for the entire world. What is at stake in Doha is beyond trade. It is about working to build a stronger global economy, reducing instability and uncertainty...Please click here to read the text in full.