Trade Restrictions and Regional Integration: Legal and Institutional Imperatives During and Post-Blockade

This chapter examines the importance of building resilient trade systems at regional levels in order to effectively withstand and manage the sustainable development impacts of trade restrictions. Trade restrictions, such as blockades, generally constrain and impact the implementation of several trade and investment agreements which may take several years to rebuild even after a blockade has been declared formally over. The ability of countries to rebuild trust and cooperation during and after a prolonged period of blockade will depend on mechanisms in place to deepen and promote regional trade integration in a cooperative and less conflictive manner. This chapter examines the legal and institutional framework for rebuilding, deepening, and promoting regional trade integration during and after a trade restriction. Drawing lessons from Qatar's response during and after the blockade aimed at promoting regional trade integration, the chapter discusses important steps such as enhancing greater economic and foreign policy integration to promote cooperative trade objectives; strengthening regional trade institutions including their dispute resolution mechanisms; creating a network of professionals in international law and certain other adjacent areas like economics, international relations, and trade policy to enhance regional trade harmonization and implementation; promoting legal capacity to implement trade instruments through enhanced capacity development amongst others.