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WTO Suspending its Role as Arbiter in Global Trade Conflicts

Rob Garver

   WASHINGTON - In 1995, developed nations around the world came together
   to create a means of creating rules for international trade and
   settling disputes between countries without the use of damaging
   tariffs. The World Trade Organization, which grew out of that effort,
   created a consensus-based system of regulations, arbitration, and a de
   facto court system that gave countries a venue for settling claims
   against each other.

   As of Wednesday, though, the WTO will likely cease to function in any
   real sense. Its policymaking arm has been crippled for years over
   internal disagreements. Now, its enforcement arm, a seven-judge panel
   known as the Appellate Body, is about to wither away, the result of the
   Trump administration's decision to block the appointment of new judges
   to replace those whose terms are expiring.

   Enforcement arm vacancies