Sacrificing Democracy Established in 1995, the 134-member WTO shifted enormous power from local, state, and national governments to unaccountable international bureaucrats. The WTO can review and penalize any act of any government that in any way compromises trade rules. Governments must comply. Only national governments are represented in disputes. Citizens' organizations and state and local governments are locked out, even when their interests are at stake.
Proceedings are secret.
Rulings are final and binding. A country that loses a dispute must change its domestic law or pay penalties to keep its law in place. The WTO also shifted enormous power over environmental and health laws from ordinary citizens to the corporations that dominate global trade. These committees are closed to the public, while their deliberations are treated as national security secrets. US clean gasoline rules designed to reduce urban smog.