ABSTRACT
This chapter is intended to provide a brief orientation to, or topography of, the GATT/ WTO (the heart of the multilateral world trading regime), and the two major regional trading blocs in the world: the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the USA, Canada and Mexico, and the European Union. The intention of the chapter is merely to highlight the principal elements of these arrangements, and not to explore them in detail. A number of subsequent chapters in this book will pursue a more detailed analysis of many of these elements. However, given the complexity of these arrangements, there is virtue in having a general road map at hand before embarking on detailed analyses of particular principles or provisions.
