The New Trade Order: Conflicts, Internet Standards and Human Security

Abstract

It is tempting to think of trade war as an innocuous conflict between the big economic interests of states with scant implications for the rest of the international system and citizens’ rights. This could not be further from reality. This study chronicles the collapse of the Appellate Body of the dispute settlement system of the World Trade Organization (WTO) as the end point of a long process tarnished by deep ideological disputes ill-suited for adjudication. These disputes, frequently expressed through tit-for-tat litigation, have eroded the legitimacy of the WTO as a dispute settlement organization. The resulting vacuum has been exacerbated by the United States (US) – China trade war that has been conducted through imposition of tariffs, embargoes and unilateral sanctions. The trade war has spilled over to other areas and has created fierce antagonism over the establishment of international technology standards and the governance of the internet. Global institutions have been forced to take sides undermining their authority as neutral arbiters. Other spillovers have undermined the global economic welfare and have chipped away at citizens’ rights. China shock, economic war, internet governance, internet standards, market economy, sanctions, subsidies, trade conflicts, trade embargoes, world trade organization