Putin reportedly interrupted one of his underlings to rebuke him for being so bold as to suggest that Russia should begin complying with WTO rules in advance of attaining WTO membership. Instead, the prime minister ordered Russian officials not to comply with WTO rules in countering rising imports from China. “This is a direct order,” Putin said. “As soon as we start fulfilling WTO obligations without being a member, they, our partners, will lose any wish to admit us. Why the hell should they admit us if we already observe everything?”
Putin’s Russia is something considerably less than an open society. There is evidence aplenty of his decided disdain for the rule of law. A commitment to uphold the rule of law is implicit in signing the WTO treaty. Although not mandated in so many words by the treaty, conscientious allegiance to the rule of law is inherent to a national commitment to comply consistently with WTO rules.
Putin has likened the prolonged WTO accession process to an “ambush” of Russian economic interests. Evidently, he wants Russia to be able to enjoy the benefits without bearing the burdens of being in the WTO. He seeks the tariff concessions and the safeguards against trade discrimination that come with WTO membership, but he does not seem to want WTO commitments to impede unduly on his continued ability to impose the whims of what often seems an arbitrary rule.
The Russian prime minister may be striking a strident national pose to help lay the groundwork for yet another presidential campaign in 2012. Whatever his motivation, his recalcitrance relating to WTO rules sends the worst possible signal at the worst possible time to Russia’s wary trading partners. This is especially so for a country ranked 156th out of 174 in the Transparency International Corruption Index.
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/142145/20110506/former-wto-judge-putin-s-cynical-effort-to-get-russia-into-wto.htm
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