CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020
| Author | Auyezova, Kamila |
|---|---|
| Title | Regionalism as a Stumbling Block: Accession Process and Negotiations in the WTO |
| Summary | The thesis addresses the following puzzle: Why does it take some countries longer to enter international organizations than others? The average accession period for a country to access the WTO is five years, however the timing varies from two to over twenty years even within the same region. What can explain this variation? This research constructs an explanation for the variation in the duration of countries’ accession process to international organizations. I argue that regionalism may serve well as a stumbling block for a country aiming to join an international organization while strategic geopolitical aspirations of a regional hegemon should also be taken into account. The case of Kazakhstan’ accession to the WTO while being a member of the Customs Union and entering the Eurasian Economic Union demonstrates that the accession process to the International Organization is dependent on the regional hegemon’s aspirations as well as the analysis should take into account the geopolitical power play in the region. The thesis examines the external hurdles to Kazakhstan’s accession to the WTO and suggests for further research considering the internal obstacles which might also play a significant role in the process. These findings point to important implications for policymakers in applying this information into the accession process for entering other organizations in the future such as the ongoing negotiations with the OECD. |
| Supervisor | Li, Xiang Andrew |
| Department | International Relations MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2020/auyezova_kamila.pdf |
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