- Email: [email protected]
Business Guide to the World Trading System
588
Reviews / Journal of Government Information 28 (2001) 567 – 605
4. Page 5 of this Overview notes ‘‘the traditional ties that are maintained in families’’ in China; ‘‘the kinship system and societal norms which prescribe that children respect their elders’’ in Indonesia; and the similar Thai ‘‘traditional ties [that] are embedded in society.’’ 5. The recent State of the World Population, 2000 report highlights many difficulties that females face around the world; see hhttp://www.unfpa.org/swp/2000/english/index.htmli.
Charles D. Bernholz Memorial Library SUNY College at Cortland P.O. Box 2000 Cortland, NY 13045-0900, USA PII: S1352-0237(02)00355-6
Business Guide to the World Trading System United Nations. International Trade Centre and Commonwealth Secretariat. (1999). Geneva: Agency. 329pp. ISBN 0-85092-621-1, UN Sales No. E.00.III.T.1 ( pbk), US$ 65.00 The World Trading Organization (WTO) came into existence in 1995 to oversee the international multilateral trading system. At the same time, the International Trade Centre (UNCTAD), jointly with the Commonwealth Secretariat, published a guide explaining the legal framework for international trade resulting from the Uruguay Round Agreements. The Uruguay Round and other previous agreements, such as the Tokyo Round, were the predecessors to the newly formed WTO. The Guide proved popular and useful to businesses and others studying international trade. This second edition, entitled Business Guide to the World Trading System, was produced as a result of many requests for a new, enlarged version, and incorporates suggestions received regarding the first one. The new edition includes changes to the trading system since 1996 and covers the work of the WTO as compared to the last work that was based on the Uruguay Round. This work is intended to be user friendly assuming no prior knowledge of the WTO legal system. The preface states that it is primarily for the use of business enterprises, industries, and their associations; teaching, training, and research institution use is secondary. The creation of the WTO introduced a more complex system of trade with more rules for orderly and expanded international trade. As the work notes, the ‘‘system helps to ensure that enterprises can market their products internationally under conditions of competition that are equitable and without the disruptions caused by the sudden imposition of restrictions’’ ( p. 1). The main aspects of the new rules are to help business develop international trade even when national governments’ rules might intercede. The Guide is divided into six parts. Most chapters begin with a brief overview and the main rules and related issues. Then there are detailed descriptions of the rules applicable to
Reviews / Journal of Government Information 28 (2001) 567 – 605
589
the various subjects covered. When appropriate to the section, the applicable Articles are set out in the margins. There are occasionally differing views presented. Prior to the six sections, there is a rather large ‘‘Overview’’ section giving the history of the evolving multilateral trading system, the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) including other relevant agreements. Its two Annexes cover a list of benefits of the WTO system and ‘‘WTO Agreements: provisions on special and differential treatment of developing countries — an analytical summary’’ ( p. 28). The six sections are the following: Part 1 explains that the WTO is a forum for negotiations and an organization responsible for reducing friction among countries. It also outlines measures for settling disputes. Part 2 consists of 15 chapters and is an overview of the applicable trade in goods under GATT and its associate agreements. Part 3 reviews the main features of trade in services. Part 4 explains the rules applicable to government procurement and state trading. Part 5 relates to the trade-related agreements in terms of intellectual property rights. Part 6 deals with new subject areas on ‘‘which analytical work is being carried out to determine whether negotiations within WTO on the development of new rules to cover their trade-related aspects would be desirable’’ ( p. 2). This is an ambitious work covering all the various nuances and aspects of the world trading system. While earlier agreements dealt purely with general trade and the exchange of goods, the new system includes services and intellectual property, the environment, and more. The WTO also has a far more complex disputes settlement procedure. By 1999, WTO had handled 167 cases of disputes compared to 300 for GATT from 1947 to 1994. The Guide not only helps in understanding the system of world trade, but it also puts into perspective the rules and basic principles. As such, it affords a manual to those involved in international trade. It has the laws to which they must conform. Such knowledge should help to conduct business properly and more efficiently. To this end, each section contains subsections on how and why certain rules relate to business, the benefits, opportunities, and sometimes challenges that are faced in carrying out trade internationally. The work goes far beyond just the coverage of the basic rules for business. It lays down the principles behind the various negotiations for the developing world (the Less Developed Countries or LDCs). The involvement of the WTO, ITC, United Nations Committee on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) is clearly delineated. There are 62 boxes strategically placed within the text. These place regulations, statistics, and other information in context. The box explanations have three benefits. They facilitate in placing in context general discussions of the text, assist in making many of the rules more understandable, and make what would be rather dry reading more interesting by expanding on and explaining the text. The aim of the Guide is to be understandable and clear, which it is. This has not been an easy task given the nature of the complexity of the world trading system. As such, the
590
Reviews / Journal of Government Information 28 (2001) 567 – 605
organization of the work, with its various sections, boxes, and discussions, helps greatly in the intended clarifications. The Guide is further useful in that it does not ignore important fundamentals from previous negotiations. For example, GATT rules provide the basis of WTO rules. The fundamentals of GATT principles are clearly explained so that the reader gains a complete background. Four clear fundamentals are outlined. These fundamentals are: (1) Protection is allowed for local industry, but only by the application of tariffs. (2) Countries are encouraged to reduce tariffs and have more open trade, but they must publish their schedules for tariffs so that everyone is clear as to the rules. (3) No discrimination is allowed, and the rules are to be applied fairly and equally. (4) There must be no internal discrimination of imported goods through application of internal levies or other taxes. Such explanations assist business to know exactly what rules are permitted and what are not in each WTO member nation. There is a good index for the publication as well, and the contents note is detailed enough to help even the uninitiated make their way to the appropriate section(s) that they may need. This is an important work for businesses, government, students, and anyone interested in the development and applications of world trade. It is a good reference work for any library whose readers need clear and understandable regulations related to international trade. The work is also useful for those who wish to understand the Articles of the WTO system. Vivienne Monty Frost Library, York University Toronto, Ontario, Canada PII: S1352-0237(02)00357-X
Guide to Researching the Council of Europe Maintained by Anne Burnett. Retrieved July 2000 from hhttp://www.llrx.com/features/ coe.htm#contentsi Anne Burnett recently released a web guide aimed at helping researchers to understand the resources on the Council of Europe’s (CoE) website, as well as the council’s many publications and documents. LLRX.com, a free Web journal, whose main audience is legal professionals and information providers, makes the Guide available as a link. Since 1996, LLRX.com has focused on technology and legal research issues, offering reviews, resources, and information on technology and research. Anne Burnett is the Reference Librarian at the University of Georgia School of Law, specializing in International Law. She maintains a similar site for the American Association of Law Libraries, ‘‘Foreign, Comparative and International Law Special Interest Section,’’ hhttp://www.lawsch.uga.edu/fcil/fcil.htmli, as well as a chapter on International Environmental Law in the ASIL Guide to Electronic Resources for International Law hhttp:// www.asil.org/resource/intro1.htmi. The Guide is a thorough and easily understandable web
Reviews / Journal of Government Information 28 (2001) 567 – 605
4. Page 5 of this Overview notes ‘‘the traditional ties that are maintained in families’’ in China; ‘‘the kinship system and societal norms which prescribe that children respect their elders’’ in Indonesia; and the similar Thai ‘‘traditional ties [that] are embedded in society.’’ 5. The recent State of the World Population, 2000 report highlights many difficulties that females face around the world; see hhttp://www.unfpa.org/swp/2000/english/index.htmli.
Charles D. Bernholz Memorial Library SUNY College at Cortland P.O. Box 2000 Cortland, NY 13045-0900, USA PII: S1352-0237(02)00355-6
Business Guide to the World Trading System United Nations. International Trade Centre and Commonwealth Secretariat. (1999). Geneva: Agency. 329pp. ISBN 0-85092-621-1, UN Sales No. E.00.III.T.1 ( pbk), US$ 65.00 The World Trading Organization (WTO) came into existence in 1995 to oversee the international multilateral trading system. At the same time, the International Trade Centre (UNCTAD), jointly with the Commonwealth Secretariat, published a guide explaining the legal framework for international trade resulting from the Uruguay Round Agreements. The Uruguay Round and other previous agreements, such as the Tokyo Round, were the predecessors to the newly formed WTO. The Guide proved popular and useful to businesses and others studying international trade. This second edition, entitled Business Guide to the World Trading System, was produced as a result of many requests for a new, enlarged version, and incorporates suggestions received regarding the first one. The new edition includes changes to the trading system since 1996 and covers the work of the WTO as compared to the last work that was based on the Uruguay Round. This work is intended to be user friendly assuming no prior knowledge of the WTO legal system. The preface states that it is primarily for the use of business enterprises, industries, and their associations; teaching, training, and research institution use is secondary. The creation of the WTO introduced a more complex system of trade with more rules for orderly and expanded international trade. As the work notes, the ‘‘system helps to ensure that enterprises can market their products internationally under conditions of competition that are equitable and without the disruptions caused by the sudden imposition of restrictions’’ ( p. 1). The main aspects of the new rules are to help business develop international trade even when national governments’ rules might intercede. The Guide is divided into six parts. Most chapters begin with a brief overview and the main rules and related issues. Then there are detailed descriptions of the rules applicable to
Reviews / Journal of Government Information 28 (2001) 567 – 605
589
the various subjects covered. When appropriate to the section, the applicable Articles are set out in the margins. There are occasionally differing views presented. Prior to the six sections, there is a rather large ‘‘Overview’’ section giving the history of the evolving multilateral trading system, the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) including other relevant agreements. Its two Annexes cover a list of benefits of the WTO system and ‘‘WTO Agreements: provisions on special and differential treatment of developing countries — an analytical summary’’ ( p. 28). The six sections are the following: Part 1 explains that the WTO is a forum for negotiations and an organization responsible for reducing friction among countries. It also outlines measures for settling disputes. Part 2 consists of 15 chapters and is an overview of the applicable trade in goods under GATT and its associate agreements. Part 3 reviews the main features of trade in services. Part 4 explains the rules applicable to government procurement and state trading. Part 5 relates to the trade-related agreements in terms of intellectual property rights. Part 6 deals with new subject areas on ‘‘which analytical work is being carried out to determine whether negotiations within WTO on the development of new rules to cover their trade-related aspects would be desirable’’ ( p. 2). This is an ambitious work covering all the various nuances and aspects of the world trading system. While earlier agreements dealt purely with general trade and the exchange of goods, the new system includes services and intellectual property, the environment, and more. The WTO also has a far more complex disputes settlement procedure. By 1999, WTO had handled 167 cases of disputes compared to 300 for GATT from 1947 to 1994. The Guide not only helps in understanding the system of world trade, but it also puts into perspective the rules and basic principles. As such, it affords a manual to those involved in international trade. It has the laws to which they must conform. Such knowledge should help to conduct business properly and more efficiently. To this end, each section contains subsections on how and why certain rules relate to business, the benefits, opportunities, and sometimes challenges that are faced in carrying out trade internationally. The work goes far beyond just the coverage of the basic rules for business. It lays down the principles behind the various negotiations for the developing world (the Less Developed Countries or LDCs). The involvement of the WTO, ITC, United Nations Committee on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) is clearly delineated. There are 62 boxes strategically placed within the text. These place regulations, statistics, and other information in context. The box explanations have three benefits. They facilitate in placing in context general discussions of the text, assist in making many of the rules more understandable, and make what would be rather dry reading more interesting by expanding on and explaining the text. The aim of the Guide is to be understandable and clear, which it is. This has not been an easy task given the nature of the complexity of the world trading system. As such, the
590
Reviews / Journal of Government Information 28 (2001) 567 – 605
organization of the work, with its various sections, boxes, and discussions, helps greatly in the intended clarifications. The Guide is further useful in that it does not ignore important fundamentals from previous negotiations. For example, GATT rules provide the basis of WTO rules. The fundamentals of GATT principles are clearly explained so that the reader gains a complete background. Four clear fundamentals are outlined. These fundamentals are: (1) Protection is allowed for local industry, but only by the application of tariffs. (2) Countries are encouraged to reduce tariffs and have more open trade, but they must publish their schedules for tariffs so that everyone is clear as to the rules. (3) No discrimination is allowed, and the rules are to be applied fairly and equally. (4) There must be no internal discrimination of imported goods through application of internal levies or other taxes. Such explanations assist business to know exactly what rules are permitted and what are not in each WTO member nation. There is a good index for the publication as well, and the contents note is detailed enough to help even the uninitiated make their way to the appropriate section(s) that they may need. This is an important work for businesses, government, students, and anyone interested in the development and applications of world trade. It is a good reference work for any library whose readers need clear and understandable regulations related to international trade. The work is also useful for those who wish to understand the Articles of the WTO system. Vivienne Monty Frost Library, York University Toronto, Ontario, Canada PII: S1352-0237(02)00357-X
Guide to Researching the Council of Europe Maintained by Anne Burnett. Retrieved July 2000 from hhttp://www.llrx.com/features/ coe.htm#contentsi Anne Burnett recently released a web guide aimed at helping researchers to understand the resources on the Council of Europe’s (CoE) website, as well as the council’s many publications and documents. LLRX.com, a free Web journal, whose main audience is legal professionals and information providers, makes the Guide available as a link. Since 1996, LLRX.com has focused on technology and legal research issues, offering reviews, resources, and information on technology and research. Anne Burnett is the Reference Librarian at the University of Georgia School of Law, specializing in International Law. She maintains a similar site for the American Association of Law Libraries, ‘‘Foreign, Comparative and International Law Special Interest Section,’’ hhttp://www.lawsch.uga.edu/fcil/fcil.htmli, as well as a chapter on International Environmental Law in the ASIL Guide to Electronic Resources for International Law hhttp:// www.asil.org/resource/intro1.htmi. The Guide is a thorough and easily understandable web