This article argues that the inclusion of provisions for the settlement of disputes in regional trade agreements enhances, rather than disrupts, the centrality of the World Trade Organization's ...dispute settlement system. Using a dataset that organizes exclusion clauses and special provisions for dispute settlement in regional trade agreements, the study develops a thematic typology that is used to examine the ways that disputes may be channelled between regional and multilateral dispute settlement institutions. This comparative empirical dimension offers a more accurate picture of the global contours of regionalization as they relate to the juridical aspects of trade governance, suggesting that the decentralization of dispute settlement inferred by the rapid development of regional bodies has been overstated.
This paper examines the case of Canadian trade bilateralism through the lens of the resource curse. As a favored federal policy option for economic diversification, Canada's bilateral trade ...agreements have underperformed even as energy exports continued to rise. Given Canada's structural relationship with the global economy and the very low levels of diversification created by preferential trade agreements outside the NAFTA arrangement, there are a few strong arguments for an intensification of Canadian bilateralism. However, the political reasons for bilateral trade agreements are better than the economic ones. Even though Canada's pattern of bilateral trade agreements to date does not suggest a coordinated attempt to unlock a specific region or strategic set of trading partners, a political stake in the current system pays dividends both in terms of diplomatic legitimacy as well as in the development of new templates for future agreements.
The international community is at a crossroads, and there is no consensus on the fundamental question of how countries promote cultural freedom while defending cultural pluralism and strengthening ...civil society. New citizenship practices and identity politics have captured the imagination of anti-globalization protesters as well as many national policy makers. Trade may lead culture, but in some periods the reverse may be true. The emergence of informed counter-publics has changed the international landscape. Cultural diversity is now the high standard. On the right, cultural politics are always dangerous, often xenophobic and opposed to immigration. On the left, identity politics are just as potent, challenging existing authority and championing redistributive social policies aimed at building inclusive societies. The lack of forward momentum at the WTO is a powerful signal that bureaucrats and policy makers have yet to address these issues effectively. Identity, citizenship and pluralism may well be significantly more central than trade liberalization in a post-Doha world.
