Of International Cooperation, Trade, COVID-19 and Other Demons

Acuerdos revista de derecho internacional del Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo de Colombia (2020)

9 Pages Posted: 8 Dec 2020 Last revised: 22 Dec 2020

See all articles by Rodolfo C. Rivas

Rodolfo C. Rivas

Universidad Panamericana Campus Guadalajara; Stanford University, School of Law, Students; University of London, Royal Holloway College, School of Management, Students

Date Written: December 5, 2020

Abstract

The Stonecutter’s Creedo, a tenet from the writings of Jacob A. Riis, has been the mantra of the San Antonio Spurs for over 20 years and its 5 NBA championships. The belief that the 100th blow by the stonecutter’s hammer is not the culprit of splitting the rock into two; instead, the rock is split by everything that preceded it — including the previous 99 blows. Just as the Creedo’s philosophy may explain the origins and crystallization of a basketball dynasty team, it can also prove insightful in understanding what COVID-19 has done to global trade. COVID-19 is not the only reason for the steep decline of 18.5% in trade flows year‑on‑year drop during the second quarter of 2020 as reported by the WTO. Of course, COVID-19 had something to do with it. Still, upon closer inspection, it is perhaps more suitable to say that problems and weaknesses had been visible through the cracks of the global trading system for many years and COVID-19 merely exacerbated them. In the Spurs’ case, the Creedo was used as the path towards building one of the most successful dynasties in modern NBA history. In the case of the global trading system, the Stonecutter’s Creedo can be used to lay bare the system’s glaring frailty that had become increasingly evident throughout the last couple of years; from the impasse of the Appellate Body to the departure of the Director-General amid a troublesome period for the global trade community. Despite all the adversities, there is a glimmer of hope for the Multilateral Trading System (MTS), much in the same way that the season-ending injury of the Spurs’ Hall of Fame center, David Robinson, served as the starting point of the team’s incredibly successful 20+ year run.

Keywords: COVID-19, trade, International cooperation, WTO, International trade, World Trade Organization, International relations, Basketball

Suggested Citation

Rivas Rea, Rodolfo Carlos, Of International Cooperation, Trade, COVID-19 and Other Demons (December 5, 2020). Acuerdos revista de derecho internacional del Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo de Colombia (2020), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3743580

Rodolfo Carlos Rivas Rea (Contact Author)

Universidad Panamericana Campus Guadalajara ( email )

Calzada Circunvalación Poniente # 49 Ciudad
Granja CP
Zapopan, Jalisco 45010
Mexico

Stanford University, School of Law, Students ( email )

Stanford, CA
United States

HOME PAGE: http://law.stanford.edu/

University of London, Royal Holloway College, School of Management, Students ( email )

London
United Kingdom

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