The Crisis Of The WTO Dispute Settlement Body: A Global Governance  Approach To The Downfall Of Norm-Based International Trade

This paper investigates what the crisis of the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) represents for the downfall of global economic governance. Through qualitative historical and bibliographic research, it analyzes the antecedents and effects of the current stagnation in the norm-based multilateral trade system. The paper argues that the crisis stems from the United States’ waning commitment to the liberal order it helped create, a trend that began in the 2000s and peaked with the Trump administration’s open contestation. This shift is attributed to two primary factors: the escalating geopolitical rivalry with China and a domestic wave of protectionism aimed at weakening international organizations. These factors culminated in the US decision to paralyze the DSB by boycotting its Appellate Body. Ultimately, the paper examines why this rules-based system has fallen into demise, contested by its own former ”norms-entrepreneur”.