The World Trade Organisation: Trading places

---A memo to Roberto Azevêdo’s prospective successor

You will discover that the WTO would be a marvellous?institution were it not for its members. The poor ones want?exemptions?from rules that have not yet been written. The rich ones are?loth?to make the?concessions needed to get anything done. Some of America’s lawmakers want to withdraw from the organisation (a “relic”) altogether. You might ?nd yourself wishing they just got on with it. But their heft?makes them useful, when they choose to be.

Marvellous: /?mɑ?v?l?s/ extremely good; wonderful 極好的；非凡的

? This will be a marvellous opportunity for her. 這對她可是千載難逢的機(jī)會呀。

? The weather was marvellous. 天氣棒極了。

exemption /?ɡ?zemp?n/ 1.~ (from sth) official permission not to do sth or pay sth that you would normally have to do or pay 免除；豁免

?She was given exemption from the final examination. 她已獲準(zhǔn)期末免試。

2.[ C ] a part of your income that you do not have to pay tax on （指部分收入）免稅

?a tax exemption on money donated to charity 給慈善機(jī)構(gòu)的捐款免稅

loth/l??θ/=loath ??~ to do sth ( formal ) not willing to do sth 不情愿；不樂意；勉強(qiáng)

? He was loath to admit his mistake. 他不愿承認(rèn)自己的錯(cuò)誤。

concession/k?n?se?n/??something that you allow or do, or allow sb to have, in order to end an argument or to make a situation less difficult 讓步；妥協(xié)

?The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罷工，公司將不得不作出一些讓步。

?to win a concession from sb 取得某人的讓步???a major/an important concession 重大的讓步

2.[ U ] the act of giving sth or allowing sth; the act of conceding 承認(rèn)；給予；許可；讓步

?the concession of university status to some colleges 對某些學(xué)院升為大學(xué)的許可

heft/heft/??hefting--hefted--hefts??1.V-T If you heft something, you lift it upward. 舉起

? ?He hefted the heavy camera up onto his shoulder. 他把重重的相機(jī)扛到了自己的肩上。

2.N-UNCOUNT The heft of something is its weight or bulk. 重量; 體積

3.N-UNCOUNT If something such as an idea or argument has heft, it has the power to influence or impress people. (觀點(diǎn)、辯論等的)分量; 影響力; 重要性

?Be cautious, like Mr Azevêdo, and you will be accused of?getting too little done. Be ambitious, and, like his predecessor?Pascal Lamy, you will be attacked for alienating?members—and also for getting too little done. Best to expand your de?nition of success to include vaguely worded joint statements calling for free and fair trade.

be accused of?:被指控 predecessor /?pri?d?ses?(r)/?前任，前一代

alienate /?e?li?ne?t/ ?to make sb less friendly or sympathetic towards you 使疏遠(yuǎn)；使不友好；離間

?His comments have alienated a lot of young voters. 他的言論使許多年輕選民離他而去。

2.?~ sb (from sth/sb) to make sb feel that they do not belong in a particular group 使（與某群體）格格不入；使疏遠(yuǎn)

vaguely /?ve?ɡli/ ?：含糊的，略微，稍微，心不在焉的?Worded /?w??d?d/：措辭，用言語表達(dá)

free and fair trade：自由公平貿(mào)易?目前為止這篇文章都比較尖銳，此處說世貿(mào)組織位置尷尬，事情干不了，智能在文字上下下功夫，寫一些模糊的宣言。

To become a candidate, a member must put you forward before July 8th. The winner must be agreeable to America, Europe and China. If such a person even exists, it probably won’t be one of their own. Perhaps that clears the way for the ?rst African boss. Names being ?oated include Amina Mohamed, Kenya’s former WTO ambassador, and Yonov Frederick Agah, a Nigerian and Mr Azevêdo’s deputy.

be agreeable to：被···認(rèn)同 文章指WTO的繼任者需要被美國、歐洲、中國都認(rèn)可

The Americans and the Europeans say they want to arrange a speedy replacement for Mr Azevêdo, who leaves on August 31st. But if the WTO’s past trade rounds are a guide, resolution won’t be swift. Many members will stall, in case Donald Trump loses America’s presidential election.

Prepare to wait for months, even years.

A quick approval, against those odds, could mean that members want to save the institution. Or it could mean that you are bland?enough that no one could rouse themselves to object to your?appointment: a sorry form of comparative advantage.

bland /bl?nd/ 1.with little colour, excitement or interest; without anything to attract attention 平淡的；乏味的?bland background music 毫無情調(diào)的背景音樂?2.not having a strong or interesting taste 清淡的；無滋味的a rather bland diet of soup, fish and bread 一個(gè)淡而無味的湯、魚加面包的食譜?3.showing no strong emotions or excitement; not saying anything very interesting 沉穩(wěn)的；無動于衷的；講話枯燥的

原文：經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人·商論6月刊