Mike Levin: “The WTO has its roots in the decision of this country and others after the Second World War not to make the mistakes…”

“The WTO has its roots in the decision of this country and others after the Second World War not to make the mistakes that we made after the First World War, and that was for this country to engage, to take a leadership position, to craft international institutions to respond to problems, to challenges, and to opportunities. Trade is not win-win. There are losers as well as winners. Our challenge is to try to make sense out of that dynamic, to try to make sure that in our country we come out ahead and not fall behind in terms of the international scene. They say send a message. It is the wrong message. It is the message of withdrawal. It is a message to tear down. It is much harder to build, and it is easy to tear down. Do not tell me the WTO never changes. I went to Geneva with others to work to safeguard our antidumping laws in those negotiations and we succeeded. If Members think the world is unmanageable, if they want to put blinders on, vote ``yes'' or ``present.'' If they want to roll up their sleeves and make this a better world economically for this country and the other nations, vote no. Vote no.”