alizing trade while protecting domestic economies-- a bargain consistent with US trade law, practice, and history ...', wemight reasonably expect to be in for a roc ky ride.Politics is important and possibly even central in the process of tradeprotection, but will always be found to depend on economic forces. Thepolitics here might well be overdone. The whole story is presented as astruggle between the US and Britain/British empire. Although this tension isan old story, Zeiler takes it further and argues that the Commonwealth had 'amajor hand in shaping the GATT order' (p.197). It is a complex story ofnegotiations taking place under conditions of extreme difficulty, and theauthor has worked diligently in the American, British and Commonwealth countryarchives.There is, however, a lot that raises the eyebrows of the economic historian.Within a few lines of the opening we read that, 'global business leaders ...seek a commercial regime unfettered by barriers'. This is rather theantithesis of the conventional understanding of businessmen almost invariably(and nowhere more so than in the US), seeking protection. And running againstthe conventional view (without seemingly noticing) is the idea that America isthe home and inspiration of free trade. The British in the 1930s opted for,'Regulated, rather than American style market, capitalism ... ' (p.20). Oragain, 'Free trade frightened the British' (p.39). And richest of all, 'TheBritish simply would not accept the free trade doctrine' (p.24). Zeilersuggests that free trade was key to the American economy ignoring the factthat America had been one of the most protectionist countries for most of itshistory. This is unfortunate and results in a distortion of the argument, forof the GATT negotiations Zeiler say s the British were not willing partners inpursuit of lower trade barriers. At certain times that may have been true butit did not derive from long-term hostility. Nevertheless, in the closin...
