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The WTO Should Continue to Fade Away
American Thinker.com ^ | September 9, 2020 | William R. Hawkins

Posted on 09/09/2020 6:37:08 AM PDT by Kaslin

Roberto Azevedo stepped down as director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on August 31, becoming the first to do so before the end of his term. Azevedo's surprise announcement was made in May, and the Brazilian was in the third year of his second four-year term. Eight candidates from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America are vying for the post, but world events are rapidly making this competition irrelevant. There is no U.S. candidate, nor does there need to be one, as Washington should shun the WTO as an organization that is not just useless, but illegitimate.

The WTO is based on the principle that "A country should not discriminate between its trading partners and should not discriminate between its own and foreign products, services or nationals." This means national governments cannot protect their own people. Indeed, the WTO claims the authority to declare national laws to be “illegal” and to authorize sanctions. Who in a democracy would support leaders who abandon their constituents, their countrymen, in international competition? Even in vital contests with foreign adversaries, citizens can get no help from their governments. They are on their own in a hostile world. A starker rejection of the social contract would be hard to imagine.

On the larger canvas of international relations, the WTO principle holds that there can be no distinction made between allies and enemies as “trading partners.” American should accord England and China the same trust. Security considerations can no longer apply to the transfer of goods, capital, or technology. It is, after all, such a peaceful world, no one will ever use their enhanced resources to build weapons aimed at us.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: trade; wto

1 posted on 09/09/2020 6:37:08 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Any organization starting with the word “World” should be regarded with great suspicion.

Especially World “Health”....which appears to be the greatest collection of clowns in the multiverse.

Heck, it’s stupidity quotient even exceeds that of our liberal/progressive/dung beetle/college prof crowd.


2 posted on 09/09/2020 7:01:51 AM PDT by Da Coyote
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To: Kaslin

Trade rules should be set by Congress by law based on rough financial balance and national and medical security needs.

All trade agreements should be “at will”.


3 posted on 09/09/2020 7:19:18 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: Kaslin

The only rule should be pay the tariff.


4 posted on 09/09/2020 7:23:57 AM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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