WTO

This book narrates the story of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) with a view to finding a solution to the unproductive conflicts hampering its functioning. The author ably captures the tensions within the WTO and also the developments which have given rise to these complex conflicts. While the author maintains that the biggest challenge before the WTO is the North-South discord, he highlights the frequent emergence of South-South and North-North conflicts as a result of a growing diversity of interests. The book presents a chronological description of developments within the WTO (from its inception in 1995 until the most recent ministerial round at Hong Kong in November 2005) which have been shaped by the tug-of-war between various interest groups. The book concludes by summing up key issues, and stresses that they need to be addressed and resolved in order to ensure effective multilateralism and a stronger WTO regime. "This book is a useful recapitulation of all the interesting events and developments that the world has witnessed on the trade front since the establishment of the GATT back in 1948 until it was replaced by the WTO. Bhaumik explains highly complex issues in uncluttered non-technical jargon, ensuring that his book is useful for the lay reader and not just for academia." -- IIMB Management Review

Birth of the Prodigal GATT, Uruguay Round and the WTO Unhappiness of the South The Millennium Round A Flop Show Between Seattle and Doha Putting Humpty Dumpty Together Again Doha Negotiations Phase I Doha Negotiations Phase II