Overview of the WTO and the historical controversy surrounding the Seattle Riots. Touches on the future of the WTO.

World Trade Organization Trade, while complex and dynamic, is a vital tool for the development of a country's economy. For several years in the aftermath of World War II, nations around the world were busy rebuilding and creating prosperous economies. It was determined during this period that it was important to setup an international body whose sole objective was to arbitrate trade disputes through peaceful negotiations; therefore, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) …

…wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/whatis_e.htm http://www.foreignpolicy-infocus.org/briefs/vol2/v2n14wto_body.html http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/wto/ http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=2998467&date=19991130&query=WTO Panitchpakdi, Supachai. "The Future of the WTO and the International Trading System". Discussion Paper Series. APEC Study Center, Columbia Business School. February 2002. http://www.columbia.edu/cu/business/apec/supachai.pdf.