{"id":1471,"date":"2026-08-09T19:11:58","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T13:41:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/psir-pyq\/the-return-of-trade-barriers-and-economic-sanctions-has-upsc-psir-2024-3407\/"},"modified":"2026-08-09T21:56:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T16:26:30","slug":"the-return-of-trade-barriers-and-economic-sanctions-has-upsc-psir-2024-3407","status":"publish","type":"psir_pyq","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/psir-pyq\/the-return-of-trade-barriers-and-economic-sanctions-has-upsc-psir-2024-3407\/","title":{"rendered":"The return of trade barriers and economic sanctions has diminished the spirit of GATT. In this context, discuss the factors contributing to the decline of WTO in recent times."},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pq-flow\">\n<div class=\"pq-flow-h\">Flow snapshot <em>&mdash; how the answer moves<\/em><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p1\"><span>Intro routes<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">R1 GATT\u2019s spirit = one rule for everyone (MFN: advantage to one extends to all) \u2192 tariffs ~40% (1947) to under 5% (1993) \u2192 spine: decline begins where the rule-writers step outside their own rules R2 accept the premise \u2192 barriers + sanctions are the symptom \u2192 the disease is defection by the system&#039;s own architects \u2014 the spirit held only while the strong consented to it<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p2\"><span>Body flow<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">barriers return as politics \u2192 US-China trade war (2018), tariffs on hundreds of billions \u2192 sanctions (EU on Russia) \u2192 trade becomes an arm of foreign policy \u2192 Rodrik: economic nationalism as backlash, domestic pressure to shield industry \u2192 heavier blow is judicial: the binding court was the WTO&#039;s one advance over GATT \u2192 AB appointments blocked, funding cut (Dec 2019) \u2192 one member where three are needed \u2192 Ravi Kanth: obstruction defends American unilateralism \u2192 Keohane: legitimacy and compliance fall with enforcement \u2192 members exit \u2192 CPTPP, RCEP \u2192 Stiglitz: fragmentation, rule-setting eroded \u2192 consensus of 166 blocks new rules (Chinese subsidies, developing-country status) \u2192 Strange: e-commerce, digital services, environment unaddressed \u2192 irrelevance<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p3\"><span>Counter-view<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">collapse overstates it \u2192 Gilpin: the rules-based regime still lends predictability and discourages trade wars \u2192 machinery stands, political will has thinned<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p4\"><span>Conclusion routes<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">R1 what has thinned is the willingness of the strongest to be bound \u2014 that willingness was the spirit of GATT \u2192 revival = restore the appellate function + loosen strict consensus R2 reform rather than burial \u2192 an equitable trading order still needs a rule-maker \u2192 the test is whether the strongest again accept being bound<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"pyq_year":[30],"pyq_marks":[35],"pyq_topic":[77],"pyq_paper":[69],"class_list":["post-1471","psir_pyq","type-psir_pyq","status-publish","hentry","pyq_year-30","pyq_marks-15-marks","pyq_topic-evolution-of-the-international-economic-system","pyq_paper-paper-2"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/psir_pyq"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3367,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1471\/revisions\/3367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"pyq_year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_year?post=1471"},{"taxonomy":"pyq_marks","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_marks?post=1471"},{"taxonomy":"pyq_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_topic?post=1471"},{"taxonomy":"pyq_paper","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_paper?post=1471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}