Increasing use of the WTO's national security exemption is the most dangerous loophole in global trade. To remain relevant, the WTO must introduce reforms that solve this existential dilemma.
Nothing illustrates the crisis at the World Trade Organization more than the piling up of unresolved disputes and the growing list of what it terms the "trade concerns" of its members. Since late 2019, after the U.S. blocked the appointment of new judges to the WTO's Appellate Body due to complaints over judicial overreach, 29 cases have been left in limbo, delivering a heavy blow to the dispute settlement system. Those depositing cases include China, Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan, South Korea and the United States.