The World Trade Organization is under attack, above all by the US, the country most responsible for its creation. Roberto Azevêdo, the Brazilian diplomat who has been director-general since 2013, is not to blame for this. Yet, by resigning a year before his term was due to end, he has given members the opportunity to select a heavyweight successor, able to call on political leaders for support. Doing so is both the right thing to do, and in their interests.
US President Donald Trump will disagree. He will cling to the delusion that bilateral pressure will rebalance trade in favour of American exporters. Yet, as Jeffrey Schott of the Peterson Institute for International Economics notes, the president’s deals “have barely done anything to improve US access to foreign markets”. Worse, his bullying has caused costly retaliation.
People close to Mr Trump even propose abolition of the WTO. Fortunately, the US is unable to achieve this goal on its own. It can merely put itself beyond the pale of co-operative trade relations by choosing to withdraw. Sooner or later, a wiser leader would surely see the wisdom of being inside the room, rather than outside it.