Is John Bolton a WTO protester?

John Bolton is out with a flurry of articles making his by-now familiar argument that the Obama administration is signing away American sovereignty to international organizations and, even more deviously, seeking to effect domestic change it can’t get through Congress via international treaties. These arguments are what they are. There’s something obvious and important in ...

By , a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.

John Bolton is out with a flurry of articles making his by-now familiar argument that the Obama administration is signing away American sovereignty to international organizations and, even more deviously, seeking to effect domestic change it can't get through Congress via international treaties. These arguments are what they are. There's something obvious and important in what Bolton says: we should worry about the transparency and accountability of international organizations. But there's also loads of exaggeration and fearmongering;  these pieces are not designed to persaude anyone who's not already convinced.

John Bolton is out with a flurry of articles making his by-now familiar argument that the Obama administration is signing away American sovereignty to international organizations and, even more deviously, seeking to effect domestic change it can’t get through Congress via international treaties. These arguments are what they are. There’s something obvious and important in what Bolton says: we should worry about the transparency and accountability of international organizations. But there’s also loads of exaggeration and fearmongering;  these pieces are not designed to persaude anyone who’s not already convinced.

I do have one question for Bolton: are you against American participation in the World Trade Organization? As far as I can see, none of his jeremiads mention the WTO. This is a strange omission since the United States has in theory ceded control over the direction of its economy to the the WTO’s appellate body. If it rules against the United States, the U.S. is obliged to honor that ruling and adapt its domestic law accordingly. And if Bolton’s not for withdrawal from the WTO, why not? I suspect the answer is that Bolton is not categorically against the ceding of some sovereignty to international bodies. He opposes those international organization that he believes will drag the country in a leftward direction and supports those that will drag the world rightward. That makes him less a man of principle than a man of politics. Maybe he should run for president!

David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.