ABSTRACT
The huge American trade deficit, trade conflicts with key allies, and increased pressures for protectionist legislation punctuate the importance of trade issues for the United States in the late 1980s. To what extent can the international trade regime centered on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) serve as an instrument for dealing with these problems? How has the United States used it in the past, and with what effect? How have U.S. trade policies and policymaking processes been influenced by the evolution of GATT?
