ABSTRACT
The end of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations ushered in the World Trade Organization (WTO) as the institutional nexus of the world trading system. From the outset, the increased scope of the WTO compared with its predecessor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), attracted sustained criticism from socialmovement representatives. This continuing focus on the WTO, intense scrutiny of its activities, and a concerted effort to alter its agenda-setting and decision-making processes by social-movement activists have transformed the political context of global trade talks. The primary aim of this chapter is not to assess the impact of social-movement actors on the world trading system, but rather to explore one of the ways in which these actors affect the search for a regulatory framework for world trade.
