WTO SWOT Analysis
Strengths
•Dispute resolution mechanism – allows small or developing
economies the opportunity to obtain a fair hearing without being asubject to threats from bigger countries•Intellectual property rights which were included in TRIPS andwere not included in GATT – in a lot of countries it is somethingthat doesn’t exist, but if the country is willing to join WTO it mustaccept the TRIPS•Focus on trade to the exclusion of non-trade matters
Opportunities
•Integration of the former Soviet states, the PRC and the countriesof Eastern Europe into the framework of open international trade•Expansion of telecommunications sector and electronic trade•Opportunity to bring international industrial espionage to the end
Threats
• Nationalism•Regionalism in the form of trade blocks – groups such as NAFTAor E.U have regulations that conflict with those of the WTO
Weaknesses
• No mechanism for weighting the influence of a member proportionally to the size of the member’s economy•Insensitivity of Director-General to the fears held by manymember regarding the loss of national sovereignty under the WTO•The fact that Russia, though is willing to join the WTO, is unableto meet the requirements for membership•Insistence on food self-sufficiency in developing country members•Insufficient liberalization of foreign direct investment