فصلنامه بین المللی ژئوپلیتیک

فصلنامه بین المللی ژئوپلیتیک

The Future of the Dispute Settlement Mechanism of WTO Following the Deadlock of Its Appellate Body

نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی

نویسندگان
Wong Chee Wing 1
Ghathwan Ali Hussein 2
Waqas Abdulkhaleq Faleeh 3
Rizal Rahman 1
1 Faculty of Law, University Kebangsaan, Malaysia.
2 College of Law, Al-Mustaqbal University, Iraq
3 College of Law, Al-Bayan University, Iraq.
10.22034/igq.2026.544755.2076
چکیده
The dispute settlement mechanism of the World Trade Organization (WTO) represents one of the most sophisticated legal frameworks for resolving international trade conflicts. Nonetheless, the dispute settlement mechanism of the WTO encountered its most severe crisis in 2019 since its inception. Following the unresolved political disagreement by the United States, the Appellate Body, being the first-ever appellate review forum for international trade disputes, ceased to function in December 2019. This article shall comprise a detailed examination of this unprecedented and most severe crisis of the WTO, analysing its historical roots, immediate consequences, and potential pathways for reform. Methodologically, the research combines doctrinal legal analysis with empirical examination of dispute settlement trends since the dysfunction and/or paralysis of the Appellate Body. This study further reviews all 32 cases currently in appellate limbo, analyses the jurisprudence of the MPIA, and assesses the growing trend of forum shopping as members increasingly turn to alternative dispute resolution mechanisms outside the WTO framework. The article concludes by situating the Appellate Body’s crisis within broader debates about the future of multilateralism in an era of geopolitical tensions and economic nationalism. This study further highlights the importance of restoring a functional dispute settlement mechanism not only for the WTO's credibility but for the preservation of a legal framework to govern international trade.
کلیدواژه‌ها
World Trade Organization
Appellate Body
Dispute Settlement Mechanism

موضوعات

عنوان مقاله English

The Future of the Dispute Settlement Mechanism of WTO Following the Deadlock of Its Appellate Body

نویسندگان English

Wong Chee Wing 1
Ghathwan Ali Hussein 2
Waqas Abdulkhaleq Faleeh 3
Rizal Rahman 1
1 Faculty of Law, University Kebangsaan, Malaysia.
2 College of Law, Al-Mustaqbal University, Iraq
3 College of Law, Al-Bayan University, Iraq.
چکیده English

The dispute settlement mechanism of the World Trade Organization (WTO) represents one of the most sophisticated legal frameworks for resolving international trade conflicts. Nonetheless, the dispute settlement mechanism of the WTO encountered its most severe crisis in 2019 since its inception. Following the unresolved political disagreement by the United States, the Appellate Body, being the first-ever appellate review forum for international trade disputes, ceased to function in December 2019. This article shall comprise a detailed examination of this unprecedented and most severe crisis of the WTO, analysing its historical roots, immediate consequences, and potential pathways for reform. Methodologically, the research combines doctrinal legal analysis with empirical examination of dispute settlement trends since the dysfunction and/or paralysis of the Appellate Body. This study further reviews all 32 cases currently in appellate limbo, analyses the jurisprudence of the MPIA, and assesses the growing trend of forum shopping as members increasingly turn to alternative dispute resolution mechanisms outside the WTO framework. The article concludes by situating the Appellate Body’s crisis within broader debates about the future of multilateralism in an era of geopolitical tensions and economic nationalism. This study further highlights the importance of restoring a functional dispute settlement mechanism not only for the WTO's credibility but for the preservation of a legal framework to govern international trade.

کلیدواژه‌ها English

World Trade Organization
Appellate Body
Dispute Settlement Mechanism
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فصلنامه بین المللی ژئوپلیتیک
دوره 21، شماره ویژه
زمستان 1404
صفحه 201-223

  • تاریخ دریافت 18 شهریور 1404
  • تاریخ بازنگری 29 مهر 1404
  • تاریخ پذیرش 10 بهمن 1404