Liberalism and the contradictions of American leadership -- Power, multilateralism, and neoliberalism at the WTO -- Power shift -- Brazil : new drivers of liberalization -- China : a delicate dance -- India : balancing complex trade interests.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The world economic order has been upended by the rise of the BRIC nations and the attendant decline of the United States' international influence. Breaking the WTO provides a groundbreaking analysis of how power shifts in the world economic order have played out in one of the most important theaters of global governance: the World Trade Organization. Historically, the U.S. has pressured other countries to open their markets while maintaining its own protectionist policies. But, over the course of the Doha Round negotiations, China, India, and Brazil challenged America's hypocrisy. They did so not by rejecting the multilateral trading system, but by embracing neoliberal rhetoric and seeking to lay claim to its benefits. Demanding that all members of the WTO live up to the principles of "free trade," these developing states caused negotiations to collapse under their own contradictions Probing the tensions between the WTO's liberal principles and the underlying reality of power politics, Kristen Hopewell explores what the Doha conflict tells us about the current and coming balance of power in the global economy.

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