Changes in the Multilateral Trading System

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has been a very successful system for the governance of international trade, progressively lowering tariffs and stimulating trade. The U.S. played a significant role in establishing the WTO and driving multiple rounds of trade negotiations, but its current trade policy will change the global agricultural trading system. U.S. tariffs have resulted in extensive international retaliation by competitors, and countermeasures have targeted key U.S. agricultural exports such as soybeans, corn, wheat and processed pork. Experts will consider whether this is an opportunity for U.S. competitors, and a devolution in WTO dispute resolution.