World Trade Organization

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization which regulates international trade. The WTO officially commenced on 1 January 1995 under the Marrakesh Agreement, signed by 123 nations on 15 April 1994, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which commenced in 1948. The WTO deals with regulation of trade between participating countries by providing a framework for negotiating trade agreements and a dispute resolution process aimed at enforcing participants' adherence to WTO agreements, which are signed by representatives of member governments and ratified by their parliaments. Most of the issues that the WTO focuses on derive from previous trade negotiations, especially from the Uruguay Round (1986–1994).

The WTO is attempting to complete negotiations on the Doha Development Round, which was launched in 2001 with an explicit focus on developing countries. As of June 2012, the future of the Doha Round remained uncertain: the work programme lists 21 subjects in which the original deadline of 1 January 2005 was missed, and the round is still incomplete. The conflict between free trade on industrial goods and services but retention of protectionism on farm subsidies to domestic agricultural sector (requested by developed countries) and the substantiation of fair trade on agricultural products (requested by developing countries) remain the major obstacles. This impasse has made it impossible to launch new WTO negotiations beyond the Doha Development Round. As a result, there have been an increasing number of bilateral free trade agreements between governments. As of July 2012, there were various negotiation groups in the WTO system for the current agricultural trade negotiation which is in the condition of stalemate.

Deus Ex: Invisible War

Deus Ex: Invisible War is a cyberpunk-themed first-person action role-playing video game developed by Ion Storm and published by Eidos Interactive. Released simultaneously for Microsoft Windows and the Xbox on December 2, 2003, the game is a sequel to the critically acclaimed Deus Ex. The game takes place in 2072, twenty years after Deus Ex, in a world being rebuilt after a catastrophic event called "The Collapse". Following a terrorist attack that destroys the city of Chicago, the player assumes the role of Alex D, a trainee at the Tarsus Academy, whose support is sought by several organizations. As the game progresses, the player learns of conspiratorial factions which seek to drastically change the world.

Invisible War was designed to allow player choice in both plot and gameplay, with branching plot lines and emergent gameplay elements. Upon its release, the game received high critical acclaim for its graphics, gameplay and freedom of choice, but criticism was directed towards below-par enemy AI and design choices that made the game seem over simplified. As of April 2011, the game has sold over 1.2 million copies. The game was eventually followed by a 2011 prequel to both it and the original game called Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Trade association

A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association or sector association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry. An industry trade association participates in public relations activities such as advertising, education, political donations, lobbying and publishing, but its focus is collaboration between companies. Associations may offer other services, such as producing conferences, networking or charitable events or offering classes or educational materials. Many associations are non-profit organizations governed by bylaws and directed by officers who are also members.

In countries with a social market economy, the role of trade associations is often taken by employers' organizations, which also take a role in social dialogue.

Political influence

One of the primary purposes of trade groups, particularly in the United States and to a similar but lesser extent elsewhere, is to attempt to influence public policy in a direction favorable to the group's members. This can take the form of contributions to the campaigns of political candidates and parties through Political Action Committees (PACs); contributions to "issue" campaigns not tied to a candidate or party; and lobbying legislators to support or oppose particular legislation. In addition, trade groups attempt to influence the activities of regulatory bodies.

World Trade

World Trade may refer to:

World Trade (band)

World Trade was a U.S. progressive rock band that featured Billy Sherwood on bass and vocals and Bruce Gowdy on guitar. Yes's Chris Squire performed on their second album, Euphoria.

History

The band was formed with Sherwood on lead vocals and bass, Gowdy on guitars, Guy Allison on keyboards and Mark T. Williams on drums. World Trade evolved from an earlier band, Lodgic, featuring Sherwood and Allison.

Their 1989 eponymous debut was co-produced by Keith Olsen. A second album followed in 1995 on Magna Carta Records, with Williams being replaced by Jay Schellen. The album was produced by Sherwood. The band's sound had similarities to 1980s Yes and the album included two Chris Squire Experiment songs and Squire (uncredited) assisted on backing vocals.

Sherwood and Schellen also recorded tracks for a series of tribute albums by Magna Carta.

Sherwood has frequently collaborated with Schellen since. In the mid-2000s, Sherwood and Gowdy began work on a new World Trade album, but this was abandoned and material is planned on a release called Psy-Op.