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Wto Compassion Or Superiority Complex?: What To Make Of The Wto Waiver For "Conflict Diamonds", Joost Pauwelyn
Wto Compassion Or Superiority Complex?: What To Make Of The Wto Waiver For "Conflict Diamonds", Joost Pauwelyn
Michigan Journal of International Law
In May 2003, the WTO granted a waiver for trade restrictions imposed on WTO members not participating in the Kimberley Certification Scheme combating so-called "conflict diamonds." This Article examines the implications of this waiver decision. It argues that GATT/TBT provisions may already excuse the trade restrictions at issue, especially now that the UN Security Council has explicitly supported them. The waiver, therefore, risks sending out the wrong signals, confirming a WTO "superiority complex." At the same time, by excluding restrictions between Kimberley participants from its scope, the waiver implies that WTO members considered the Kimberley scheme to be a non-WTO …