A Neglected Pledge

In 1999, I was a graduate student in California, studying multilateral investment and trade agreements. This is a more interesting subject than it might first appear, because these deals have important implications for public education, water rights, generic drugs, and other concerns of ordinary people. It was even more interesting when, later that year, there were protests against the World Trade Organization ministerial conference in Seattle. Ahead of the contentious gathering, activists with legal training created free, pocket-sized guides to explain trade agreements, so that anyone could better understand the law and grasp the bigger picture of how such agreements affect everyday life and the environment. These small publications pointed out, for instance, that lofty promises made in preambles are not legally binding.

The lawyer and University of British Columbia adjunct professor Bruce McIvor does something similar with Standoff: Why Reconciliation Fails...