Trade and Freedom by James Bacchus is a collection of essays that present for the first time publicly many of the thoughts of the former Chairman -- and longest-serving Member -- of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.
In 1995, Bacchus became one of the seven founding Members of the Appellate Body -- the highest court in world trade, and the tribunal of final appeal in WTO dispute settlement. In December 2003, he completed eight years and two terms as the only American -- and the only remaining founding Member -- on the Appellate Body. He was twice appointed to the tribunal by consensus of the Members of the WTO, and was twice elected Chairman of the Appellate Body by his six colleagues.
Bacchus has judged more WTO disputes than any other international jurist. He is a former Member of the Congress of the United States, and a former Special Assistant to the United States Trade Representative. Having completed his service at the WTO, he is now Chairman of the Global Trade Practice Group of the 1200-member international law firm of Greenberg Traurig, P.A. He is also a professor of law at Vanderbilt University Law School. His book was written while he served on the Appellate Body.
Trade and Freedom is a book of reflections that draws extensively on the unique experience of the author's eight years in Geneva at the WTO. The book is in two parts. In the first part -- an extended essay entitled "Reflections of a Faceless Foreign Judge" -- the author takes the reader behind the closed doors of the WTO. He gives "faces" to the "faceless judges," and explains "the philosophy of trade" that inspires their service to the global trading system. In the second part -- a collection of a dozen additional essays -- he expands on the themes of the first part of the book, and offers additional insights into the ongoing evolution of the trading system. Throughout the book, Bacchus explains and emphasizes what he sees as the vital and indispensable connection between trade and freedom.
Contents in Brief
PART ONE: Reflections of a Faceless Foreign Judge
Preface: Promenade: Morning in Geneva
Chapter One: Trade Talks
Chapter Two: Trade Faces
Chapter Three: Trade Secrets
Chapter Four: Trade Fears
Chapter Five: Trade Hopes
Conclusion: The Age of Reason
PART TWO: Further Reflections on Trade and Freedom
Chapter One: The Appeals of Trade: The Making of an Old GATT Hand
Chapter Two: The Bicycle Club: Affirming the American Interest in the Future of the WTO
Chapter Three: Thoreau's Pencil: Sharpening Our Understanding of World Trade
Chapter Four: "Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda": The Consolations of WTO Dispute Settlement
Chapter Five: The Strange Death of Sir Francis Bacon: The Do's and Don'ts of Appellate Advocacy in the WTO
Chapter Six: Learning and Living the Liberal Arts
Chapter Seven: An Education in 404 Pages
Chapter Eight: Poetry About Butter
Chapter Nine: The Double Rainbow
Chapter Ten: Lone Star: The Historic Role of the WTO
Chapter Eleven: Groping Toward Grotius: The WTO and the International Rule of Law
Chapter Twelve: Lecky 's Circle: Thoughts from the Frontier of International Law
