The WTO and the havoc in the global supreme court of free trade

by Mary Louise Malig Read the publication in full here Content: Introduction Breaking down the Dispute Settlement Mechanism Bully capitalism versus the Appellate Body The interim dysfunctional way of settling disputes and the reform proposals The barely functioning and non-functional pillars of the WTO Introduction Back in 1995, when the World Trade Organization (WTO) had just started, it was the talk of the town. This … Continue reading The WTO and the havoc in the global supreme court of free trade

The anachronism of the World Trade Organization

Mary Louise Malig* The 12th Ministerial of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is finally taking place in Switzerland in a moment when this country has banned all flights from the South Africa region and established a ten-day quarantine for all persons coming from this part of the world plus Hong Kong, Israel and Belgium because of the Omicron variant.[1] Update: Latest news: the 12th Ministerial … Continue reading The anachronism of the World Trade Organization

“America is back” and it’s ominously reviving the crisis-riddled WTO

By: Mary Louise Malig* US President Biden has stated on a few occasions that, “America is back” reinforcing the message that the US is going to repair relationships with allies and institutions. Biden immediately re-entered the US into the Paris Climate Accord. He also reassured the World Health Organization (WHO) that the US was back on board. Biden and the new administration were and are … Continue reading “America is back” and it’s ominously reviving the crisis-riddled WTO

Conclusions

[Español] Digital Trade is not new, in fact, it has been around since the nineties. Digital trade, to use the narrowest definition of e-commerce, is the sale and purchase of goods and services via the internet of which they are delivered digitally. Many argue that even if the whole process happened online, if the end product is a physical good, then it is not digital … Continue reading Conclusions

Part 4: The Digital Economy: There is more to it than trade

[Español] The Digital Economy is a much broader spectrum and digital trade is just a part of it. Digital economy involves new technologies, faster infrastructure and a whole lot more skilled workers in technology and other significant areas.   Just see the figure below: Digital Technologies that are already here or coming real soon 1. Blockchain technologies Blockchain technologies are a form of distributed ledger … Continue reading Part 4: The Digital Economy: There is more to it than trade

Part 3: The State of Play on the debate on the Rules

[Español] As early as 1998, the World Trade Organization (WTO) had issued a Ministerial Declaration on Global Electronic Commerce at the Second WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Simply recognizing that global electronic commerce was growing and that therefore the WTO needed to have a work program to discuss rules that would govern this new form of trade. The most significant impact of this Ministerial … Continue reading Part 3: The State of Play on the debate on the Rules

Part 2: The Digital Platform Economy and Who Owns It

[Español] To understand the digital platform economy better, this paper breaks down below the various types of platforms, how data changes from raw material to monetized good in the digital value chain and how the discussion on digital trade should not be limited to whether or not tariffs are to be imposed on electronic goods and services but rather, more importantly, should include the complex … Continue reading Part 2: The Digital Platform Economy and Who Owns It

Part 1: What is Digital Trade?

[Español] Digital trade as traditional trade, is a part of the larger picture of the economy. Digital trade is part of the growing digital economy and affects the non-digital larger economy. Digital trade is not new. However, despite it being around for a while, there is no definitive definition and scope globally agreed upon. This has led to lack of consensus and a plethora of … Continue reading Part 1: What is Digital Trade?

Is the future really digital? A deeper understanding of digital trade

By: Mary Louise Malig [Versión en español] Read the entire publication in PDF here Contents Part 1: What is digital trade? Part 2: The Digital Platform Economy and Who Owns It Part 3: The State of Play on the debate on the Rules Part 4: The Digital Economy: There is more to it than trade Conclusions Introduction A current buzzword not only in technology circles … Continue reading Is the future really digital? A deeper understanding of digital trade

Free Trade first: The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation will be convening governments and business to discuss trade and economic integration in Chile right before the Climate Summit

By: Mary Louise Malig* [en español] After the massive mobilizations and climate strikes that took place in numerous cities around the planet, with an estimate of more than six million people participating, many are now turning their attention to the coming United Nations Framework on Climate Change Conference or COP 25 for short. COP 25 will be help in Santiago, Chile from December 2-13, 2019 … Continue reading Free Trade first: The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation will be convening governments and business to discuss trade and economic integration in Chile right before the Climate Summit

The whole of Mercosur in exchange for a plate of beef

By: Mary Louise Malig, Global Forest Coalition After 20 years of negotiations, the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is entering a crucial moment where it can come to a tragic end. To paraphrase a well-known saying, Mercosur is offering its kingdom for a plate of lentils, or in this case, its sovereignty for a plate of beef. Free trade agreements are not only about commodity … Continue reading The whole of Mercosur in exchange for a plate of beef

Notes for the debate: Deglobalization

Versión en español Download this text in PDF format World Integration for People and Nature What is Deglobalization? To answer that question, we must first be clear on our definition of globalization. Dr. Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan has compiled around one hundred definitions of globalization in his paper, “Definitions of Globalization: A Comprehensive Overview and a Proposed Definition.”1 The majority tend to define the term as … Continue reading Notes for the debate: Deglobalization