{"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":"2026-08-12T21:24:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T15:54:52","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>\u2014 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\">\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 1<\/i> GATT\u2019s spirit = one rule for everyone (MFN: advantage to one extends to all) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> tariffs ~40% (1947) to under 5% (1993) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b>spine:<\/b> decline begins where the rule-writers step outside their own rules<\/p>\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 2<\/i> accept the premise <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> barriers + sanctions are the symptom <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> the disease is defection by the system\u2019s own architects <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> the spirit held only while the strong consented to it<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p2\"><span>Body flow<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p>barriers return as politics <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> US\u2013China trade war (2018), tariffs on hundreds of billions <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> sanctions (EU on Russia) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> trade becomes an arm of foreign policy <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Rodrik<\/b>: economic nationalism as backlash, domestic pressure to shield industry <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> heavier blow is judicial: the binding court was the WTO\u2019s one advance over GATT <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> AB appointments blocked, funding cut (Dec 2019) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> one member where three are needed <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Ravi Kanth<\/b>: obstruction defends American unilateralism <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Keohane<\/b>: legitimacy and compliance fall with enforcement <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> members exit <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> CPTPP, RCEP <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Stiglitz<\/b>: fragmentation, rule-setting eroded <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> consensus of 166 blocks new rules (Chinese subsidies, developing-country status) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Strange<\/b>: e-commerce, digital services, environment unaddressed <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> irrelevance<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p3\"><span>Counter-view<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p>collapse overstates it <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Gilpin<\/b>: the rules-based regime still lends predictability and discourages trade wars <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> machinery stands, political will has thinned<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p4\"><span>Conclusion routes<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 1<\/i> what has thinned is the willingness of the strongest to be bound \u2014 that willingness <i>was<\/i> the spirit of GATT <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> revival = restore the appellate function + loosen strict consensus<\/p>\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 2<\/i> reform rather than burial <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> an equitable trading order still needs a rule-maker <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> the test is whether the strongest again accept being bound<\/p>\n<\/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":5,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4883,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1471\/revisions\/4883"}],"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}]}}