State the Advantages and Disadvantages of the Wto

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The World Trade Organisation: what are the advantages and disadvantages if it? The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is an organisation that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organisation officially commenced on January 1, 1995, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which commenced in 1948. The WTO has 153 members, ]representing more than 97% of total world trade. The World Trade Organisation helps member states in various ways and this enables them to reap many benefits. First it helps promote peace within nations: Peace is partly an outcome of two of the most fundamental principle of the trading system; helping trade flow smoothly and providing countries with a constructive and fair outlet for dealing with disputes over trade issues. Second, disputes are handled constructively: As trade expands in volume, in the numbers of products traded and in the number of countries and company trading, there is a greater chance that disputes will arise. WTO helps resolve these disputes peacefully and constructively. If this could be left to the member states, the dispute may lead to serious conflict, but a lot of trade tension is reduced by organisations such as WTO. Third, rules make life easier for all: WTO system is based on rules rather than power and this makes life easier for all trading nations. WTO reduces some inequalities giving smaller countries more voice, and at the same time freeing the major powers from the complexity of having to negotiate trade agreements with each of the member states. Fourth, free trade cuts the cost of living: Protectionism is expensive, it raises prices, WTO lowers trade barriers through negotiation and applies the principle of non-discrimination. The result is reduced costs of production (because imports used in production are cheaper) and reduced prices of finished goods and
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