WTO faces crisis over settlement disputes unless Trump backs off

[muriel_volestrangler]

The World Trade Organization is set to plunge into the biggest crisis in its 25-year history later this week as the climax to a long-running and bitter dispute means the Geneva-based body will cease to be able to settle disputes between its member states.
...
However, hopes are fading that the US will agree to a blueprint drawn up by a senior diplomat in Geneva that would keep the WTO’s appellate body – the ultimate arbiter of trade disputes – operating beyond the 11 December deadline.
...
The appellate body needs a minimum of three judges to function and in recent years the US has been blocking the appointment of new members to replace those on the seven-member panel whose terms have expired. The long-anticipated crunch moment finally arrives at midnight on Tuesday, when two of the remaining three judges to the appellate body have to step down.
...
“President Trump has made it clear throughout his term that he has no time for multilateral deals and even less time for WTO judges telling him what he can and cannot do,” said Joe Zammit-Lucia of the Radix thinktank.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/08/wto-faces-crisis-over-settlement-disputes-unless-trump-backs-off

[malaise]

1. This is all connected to Bretton Woods and who is really in charge

of all the multilaterals.

See some of the posts on this thread
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212761652#post30

[2naSalit]

2. +1

[Wounded Bear]

3. Pretty sure that is a feature, not a bug...

that's kind of the goal, the destruction of any and all international agreements.