Does Trade Equal Peace? The Role of the WTO in International Peace

In: Legal issues of economic integration: law journal of the Europa Instituut and the Amsterdam Center for International Law, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Volume 46, Issue 1, p. 77-99

Abstract

This article contends that the World Trade Organization ('WTO') plays a vital role in the maintenance of international peace through continued international trade. In exploring this argument, the article looks to the history of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade ('GATT 1947') and the WTO. After doing so, the article analyses the other side of the coin: when trade is weaponized through the use of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade ('GATT 1994') security exception Article XXI. Lastly, the article discusses the effectiveness of trade sanctions and whether the security exception is in need of reform in order for the WTO to better engage in the pursuit of international peace through international trade.