Assignment Details:

“Trade law demands a delicate balance between international rules and domestic autonomy. The World Trade Organization fails to strike that balance, and that has been its undoing.” Do you agree? Explain your answer.

• Key concepts – “international rules”, “domestic autonomy”, “balance” What are they? What do they mean? What do they imply? Why (if at all) do they matter?
• Doctrinal focus – “trade law”, “The World Trade Organization” Open, so up to you to decide which parts of the module to focus on. Why choose the ones you do? (Justify your choices!) How do they relate to the key concepts? Is the answer always the same?
• “fails to strike” “has been its undoing” – Are these the right criteria for judging WTO law? How well has it done by these criteria? What is the consequence? For whom?
• “Do you agree?” – evaluate the statement! Is it right or wrong? Why?
•  “Explain your answer.” – Why is the answer you have reached the correct one? What is the argument supporting it?

Make an Argument

1. The argument is yours – it is what you bring to the table.
2. The questions are intentionally open. There are many different but equally good ways you could answer these questions. It is your job to decide how to approach them.
3. There is no one right answer (but this does not mean there are no wrong answers!)
4. An interesting, original and compelling argument is what distinguishes really great academic writing.