Interpreting WTO Agreements
Problems and Perspectives

This second edition identifies the problems of interpreting WTO agreements, addressing the legislative developments and updating the case law.

Asif H. Qureshi (Author)

9781107043299, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 29 January 2015

476 pages, 1 table
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.7 cm, 0.84 kg

'The eagerly awaited second edition of Asif H. Qureshi's Interpreting WTO Agreements published some nine years after the first, is a compelling testimony not only of the author's superb mastery of the complexities of the general international law of treaty interpretation, but also to the remarkable fact of a rapidly growing body of WTO panel and Appellate Body reports which have come to enrich international economic law and practice even beyond the field of trade law. This book provides a detailed exploration of the key features of the WTO dispute settlement system in action in a clear and systematic manner, combining thorough analysis of leading cases in their socio-economic setting with theoretical and policy analysis. It is a book written in a reader-friendly style, a useful addition to the bookshelves of all concerned with the study of international trade law, whether for the first time or at a more advanced level.' Friedl Weiss, Universität Wien, Austria

The case law of the World Trade Organization is extensive, now running into some three hundred decided cases and thousands of pages. The interpretative process involved in this jurisprudence constitutes a form of legislative activity, and is therefore of great significance not only to the parties to disputes, but to the membership of the WTO. Qureshi identifies some of the underlying problems of interpreting WTO agreements, and examines the conditions for the interpretation of these agreements. Since the first edition of this book, the case law has grown, and the interpretation evolved further. This second edition addresses these developments and engages in the contemporary discourse on the subject. Also included is a new section on issues of interpretation relating to preferential trade agreements and the WTO. This book is an essential tool for WTO trade specialists, as well as government and judicial officers concerned with interpreting these agreements.

Introduction
1. Interpreting principles of treaty interpretation in the WTO
2. Interpreting institutional aspects of the WTO agreements
3. National dimension to interpretation in the framework of the WTO
4. Interpreting exceptions in WTO agreements
5. Interpreting WTO agreements for the development objective
6. Interpreting 'in' external concerns
7. Interpreting the agreements on trade remedies
8. Interpreting the relationship between WTO and preferential trade arrangements in the interpretative process
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: International economic & trade law [LBBM], Law [L], International economics [KCL]