With more than eighty chapters, this three-volume work - described by the current Director-General of the World Trade Organization as an "outstanding contribution" to understanding the world trading system - is by far the most comprehensive study yet undertaken of the WTO. Contributors to the book include two former Directors-General of the WTO, a former Deputy Director-General, a former and a present member of the WTO Appellate Body, and several present and former officials of the WTO Secretariat. They also include a number of former heads of country delegations to the GATT and the WTO, as well as leading academics and practitioners from many countries.

The core of the book is the section on the legal framework of the WTO, which contains detailed legal analyses of the GATT 1994 and each of the specialized WTO agreements, as well as a discussion of the institutional framework of the WTO. The book also includes a number of chapters on the WTO dispute resolution process - a critical part of the world trading system - and on the growing phenomenon of regional trade agreements. In addition, the book contains sections discussing important political aspects of the WTO, such as the relationship between trade and the environment, labor, and human rights. A section on economic issues includes chapters analyzing the economic aspects of such critical aspects as anti-dumping, safeguards, trade and the environment, and trade and labor. A series of country reports considers the WTO from the perspective of individual members and would-be members, ranging from the United States and the European Union to Mongolia.

The book is an essential tool for anyone with a professional interest in the WTO, ranging from government officials involved in trade policy to legal practitioners to academics.

From the review (forthcoming):

"The list of contributors is as impressive as the size of the book itself"

"covers practically all aspects of the WTO and its activities"

"many carefully crafted and conscientiously researched contributions"

"thought provoking contributions"

"Excellent and detailed analyses of the legal framework of the WTO], including the multilateral and plurilateral agreements and the dispute settlement proceedings."

"avoids the jargon that often tends to plague texts dealing with GATT/WTO law"

"Given its breadth and depth, and the quality of the contributions, the book is likely to become the standard reference tool for trade experts and professionals" (Veijo Heiskanen, Journal of Trade Law, December 2006)