Community interests in world trade law

The WTO system is a highly controversial international legal regime. Like no other, it captivates the aspiration and discontents of globalization's economic dimension. Proponents view the WTO system as a „[s]uccess [s]tory of [g]lobal [g]overnance“ that avoids „a world of inward-looking trade blocs and self-destructive factionalism“ and is „overwhelmingly“ in the interest of all participating countries. Moreover, proponents argue, the WTO system plays „to the advantage of the smallest and weakest countries“ because it "replaces the role of 'power' in international trade relations with the 'rule of law'". In contrast, critics contend that the WTO's "impact on the world's poor has been overwhelmingly negative„, that it “institutionalizes the subordination of development to corporate free trade„ and that it “ignore[s] non-trade concerns such as environmental protection, consumer rights, labor rights, and state sovereignty".