Bibliographie sélective OHADA

With trade taking place continuously on a daily basis, its often-reported success gives the impression that all participants involved are to a certain extent somewhat successful too. This dissertation draws attention to the discrepancies that have often gone unnoticed throughout the decades and the effects that have arisen as a result. South Africa’s (SA) and the United States of America’s (US) trade relationship through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is the focus of this study, with this relationship being analysed from as far back as history has been recorded to the modern day. Least developed countries (LDCs) are an integral part of this study because most trade-related activities involve them, and they contain most of the world’s natural resources, but most importantly they also make up a large portion of the world’s population. It's baffling to see that where these factors are present, there's also inequality. Seemingly, there are efforts that deal specifically with the challenges faced by developing countries, but what is concerning is these solutions are formulated by developed countries which created them and continue to perpetuate them. The approach adopted was mostly that of contrasting events that have involved trade over the decades and a discussion of how these events have shaped international, political and trade relations, that is, the existing status quo. Examples include the two World Wars; oppressive regimes such as apartheid; and the formation of global institutions ranging from the International Trade Organization (ITO) to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and the World Trade Organization (WTO). The first three chapters contain an introduction, a background focus on development and the history of relations between South Africa and the United States of America. The last two chapters contain a discussion on AGOA as well as findings and recommendations that can be implemented to assist with this issue. What this dissertation was aiming to establish was the perpetual involvement of developed countries in the affairs of developing countries. This is illustrated through the renegotiation of the AGOA in 2015, where SA had to accept ultimatums set for it by the US. This dissertation further shows that such tactics are nothing new when the US is involved, as is evidenced by its involvement in major global events that have shaped the course of history. This approach is not only harmful but also stagnates development, as developing countries must adhere to agreements that sometimes are not to their benefit. The findings indicate a contradictory pattern: when solutions to challenges faced by developing countries are presented, they translate instead into a further stronghold over developing countries because of past atrocities such as colonisation and apartheid. What appears throughout the dissertation are the ever-present structures that are intended to perform functions supposed to be for the improved good of developing countries, but which result in those countries facing never-ending challenges, some of which are self-inflicted through alliances such as the AGOA with developed countries.

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Development is understood to be an economic process that aims at a constant improvement of the well-being of all individuals who have the right to participate and benefits from the fruits of development. Development is also a right that requires a progressive realisation by governments, international communities and private sectors to the satisfaction of all individuals. A progressive realisation of this right requires a vibrant economy, which can be acquired through International trade and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). It is in this context that this thesis has attempted to discuss the influence of FDI and International trade on development. The discussion was initiated by focusing on the history of the multilateral trade system (MTS) by looking at various Ministerial rounds of both the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO). In this discussion the thesis found that, whilst there are various multilateral political frameworks regulating trade, FDI is subject to regional and domestic political frameworks. The thesis also discussed development in relation to the millennium development goals (MGDs). It was established the goal eight of the MDGs requires the integration of poor countries into the MTS so that they can be able to exploit their comparative advantage. This goal influenced the launching of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) at the Doha round in 2001. However, the thesis also established that conclusion of the DDA has been progressing at a slow pace. Therefore it has not yielded substantial results for poor countries. The failure to conclude the DDA has led to an increase of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs), which some scholars view as a supplement of multilateral trade integration. However, the SADC region has not been able to conclude their integration objectives due to the fact that many member states belong to other RTAs. In the case of FDI the thesis established that FDI is accompanied by a wide range of resources for host countries, which can be utilised for enhancing development. However, it was also established that the SADC has not been able to attract lucrative FDI due to a wide range of factors that impede FDI. On this finding, a case study was employed on four countries in the region, namely Angola, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

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