The World Trade Organization grew out of the post-war General agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) through a series of negotiated enhancements to GATT. Recently, the WTO has attracted controversy, accused of perpetuating the economic subservience of the Third World. This text explores the main issues.

Adam Smith famously described the marketplace as being guided by an "invisible hand." The modern international marketplace is guided by a set of rules of the game embodied in the visible hand of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This book describes the WTO from its post-WWII beginnings in the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) through a series of negotiated enhancements of these agreements. It describes the WTO's origins, structure and growth pains as it has had to face challenges from within and without. Case studies illuminate the diplomatic and domestic political issues accompanying the difficult decisions confronted by the WTO.