Traders in a brave new world

In Traders in a Brave New World, Ernest H. Preeg, a distinguished former U.S. diplomat and trade negotiator, presents a blow-by-blow account of the Uruguay Round, an examination of the historical context in which it took place, and an insider's assessment of the agreement's future impact on the international trading system.

The GATT was established in 1947 as a multilateral agreement on international trade. Of the eight rounds of negotiations, the Uruguay Round, covering the period from 1981 to 1994, had the widest participation and involved the most intensive negotiations. It was also the most comprehensive round, encompassing new areas such as trade in services and the protection of intellectual property, as well as longstanding problem areas such as agriculture and textiles.

Most significantly, this round resulted in the establishment of a permanent World Trade Organization, which will provide the institutional basis for future international trade and a forum for settlement of disputes.

Preeg places the Uruguay Round in the broader context of global politics and economics, showing how changes in the world order - from the collapse of communism to dramatic economic reforms in developing countries - influenced both the topics of negotiations and their outcome. He then assesses the final GATT agreement as a case study in international negotiations and evaluates its probable effects on income and trade.

Finally, Preeg looks to the short- and long-term issues confronting future trade-policy negotiators. He shows that the international trade agenda will consist of three evolving types of agreement - further multilateral commitments, regional free-trade agreements, and selective bilateral accords. Going to the heart of current debates on the "new world order," an important final chapter evaluates the political and economic relationships that will result from the international trading system.