Reckoning and Renewal: The World Trade Organization and Its Dispute Settlement System at 30

Reckoning and Renewal: The World Trade Organization and Its Dispute Settlement System at 30 offers a timely and in-depth reflection on the evolution of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its dispute settlement system on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. In a decade marked by unprecedented challenges – including the US blockade of the WTO’s dispute resolution process, the rise of national security disputes, and the US–China trade war – this volume provides a critical reassessment of the WTO’s achievements, failures, and prospects for renewal.

Bringing together leading experts, the book examines the organization’s past, diagnoses the challenges facing its dispute settlement system, and explores potential reforms both within and beyond the WTO framework. This collection also celebrates the extraordinary career of Valerie Hughes – the first and only person to lead both the WTO’s Legal Affairs Division and its Appellate Body Secretariat – whose contributions have shaped the field of international trade law.

Featuring insights from Hughes’ colleagues, mentees, and students, this landmark volume is the first liber amicorum dedicated to a woman in international trade law, offering both a tribute and a roadmap for the future of global trade governance.