Quote:The Geneva-based group, which is modeled on the United Nations and has 148 member states, was set up as a forum for governments to negotiate trade agreements, settle disputes, and hash out a system of trade rules.

Quote:  The case that the WTO is responsible for this expansion of trade is a pretty good one.  While big multinationals rely on money, political access, and armies f lawyers to protect their interests on a global scale, the WTO's efforts halp the average firm.

Quote:  To be sure, there is still work to be done.  Tariffs remain high in many countries.  While two-thirds of all goods imported into the US are duty-free--and our average industrial tariff falls below 2%--many nonindustrial nations maintain tariffs that are 12 times as high.

Quote:Nevertheless, customs procedures are often so antiquated that [Chris] Padilla says some countries don't post rules on the Internet, can't rush approval for express deliveries, and maintain different rules and fee structures in different ports in the same country.

Quote:Beijing has maintained its currency at its 1994 level against the dollar, thus artifically increasing the prices of our exports and lowering the prices of theirs, enabling them to flood the international markets with cheap goods.

Quote:A few years ago, the European Union brought a complaint against the U.S. before the WTO, arguing that those [tax advantages for exports] amounted to subsidies.  The Europeans won.
But then,...the WTO ruled that E.U. countries were allowed to keep tax breaks for their small businesses.