Synthesizing Literature

Your goal is to decide how best to synthesize the literature about the World Trade Organization (WTO).  For your assignment, you need to to read each of the following, then (1) bullet point the significant points each author makes, (2) group together the authors/similar points, and (3) tell me why your organization makes the most sense.

Smith, 2007
The WTO is a necessary organization, serving three primary purposes.  First, the WTO was established to continue doing the work started by GATT of breaking down trade barriers and opening new markets.  Second, GATT was just an agreement.  The WTO was created to do what GATT could not: Provide a formal organizational structure with power to review and rule on disputes.  Third, with a governing body headed by a Secretary-General, the organization is proactive, allowing it to set and pursue an agenda to address world trade issues.  Countries therefore benefit from this international organization because it facilitates cooperation.

Jones, 1996
It was good that GATT evolved into the formal organization that is the WTO.  Though Global North and Global South countries do not equally benefit from membership, both are better off through their involvement.  For instance, even though the US gains more from the deal, in return Kenya has more access to the US market than prior to its membership.  Free trade is essential to the growth and development not only of the world economy, but also for the Global South countries struggling to industrialize.

Johnson, 2003
The WTO has really helped to balance the world economic order through its global governance.  For example, when Brazil felt European Union sugar subsidies created unfair competition on the international commodity market, Brazil's trade minister to the WTO was able to file a complaint against the EU--recourse that wouldn't have been possible under GATT, and wouldn't be possible without the presence of the WTO.  Finding in favor of the Global South country, the EU has accepted the decision, making Brazil's sugar export a much more competitive commodity.  World trade is essential to any economy, which is why exporters (like China) have joined, and Russia has petitioned for membership.

Roberts, 2004
Organizations like the WTO only reinforce Global North dominance.  The organization is neither democratic nor transparent.  The Global South countries do not have nearly the level of input or influence in the WTO as those that are industrialized.  Meetings are often held behind closed doors and policies debated through 'old boy' networking that exclude many developing countries.  As a result, the organization should be reorganized to better reflect all countries' interests, rather than just those of the the richest economies.

Keller, 2006
The latest round of WTO talks, the Doha Round, demonstrates why the WTO needs to be restructured if its real purpose is to advance free trade.  The Doha Round indicates the lack of willingness of powerful countries to give up the advantages they have over the developing world, particularly regarding agriculture issues.  Many of the approximately 120 countries representing the Global South are literally forced to open their markets to 30 or so Global North countries that, in turn, are less willing to extend the same courtesy.  Without some serious changes in the governing structure of the WTO, benefits from the trade rounds will continue to benefit the wealthier countries to an excess that the developing countries just cannot afford. 

Brown, 1995
Free trade is overrated, just like the newly formed WTO.  Global North countries pushed for the formation of the organization just to have a formal institution with which they can throw around their weight, thus allowing them to manipulate trade rules to take even greater advantage of the Global South countries.  That countries even agreed to expand GATT to form the WTO in the first place is evidence of the power the Global North holds over the rest of the world.  Disbanding the organization is the only way to protect developing countries from the atrocities leveled against them by the rich countries.

Fritz, 2000
The 1999 Seattle protests of the WTO provide demonstrable evidence of why the organization should not have come into existence.  The organization has no accountability to citizens of countries in the way that actual countries' governments do.  That is, if someone is elected to office and fails to represent his/her constituents, next time around, that person will be out of a job.  In the WTO, the organization makes decisions about trade fairness.  If those officials fail to represent the interests of the people, there is no way to hold them accountable for their actions.  Instead of a country getting to decide what trade rules it accepts or not, the WTO gets to make that decision.  All of the demonstrators at the protests--ranging from the worker's unions to the environmental groups--were trying to show the world how utterly unrepresentative the WTO actually is.  Protests will continue at every meeting, for every trade round, because the public recognizes the damage its existence is doing to the sea turtles, non-renewable resources, and laborers.