Obama, WTO Trade Enforcement, and China

Abstract

This year, President Obama claimed that since he entered office in 2009, his administration filed 20 WTO cases and won every one that was decided. This certainly sounds like a great achievement for U.S. trade enforcement that would reflect a sterling record in the WTO dispute resolution system. But is it a great achievement? It might be, but it is not the whole story. The whole story is much more nuanced and important to understand.