The Implications of the New US Trade Policy for the World Trade Organization

From the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs, 1947 (GATT 1947) to the Marrakesh Agreement, the United States (US) has remained the main player in the multilateral trading system. After regaining some protectionist practices during the 1970s and 1980s, the US unilateralism gradually declined due largely to the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO). However, the election of President Donald Trump marks a paradigm shift in the US trade policy. 'America first' has effects that go well beyond the bilateral or regional trade relations of the US. It threatens the existence of the WTO today and could also jeopardize its future. The purpose of this article is to highlight the impact of the US unilateralism on the multilateral trading system.