Russian world trade organization (WTO) accession failures in 2003 and 2007 under Putin's first and second presidential terms (2000-2008)

This thesis focuses on the Russian WTO accession failures under Putin’s first and second presidential terms in order to locate the reasons for Russia not becoming a WTO member in 2003 and 2007. In addition to examining the nature and decision making process of the WTO, the thesis traces the history of the Russian WTO membership which took 19 years in total, by taking as a starting point the Yeltsin era and analyzing the reforms for transforming the Russian communist economy into a market economy. This study addresses Russia’s commitment areas to be a WTO member in order to evaluate the possible effects of the WTO accession on the Russian sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and services. Additionally, throughout the thesis, the reasons for the increased iv popularity regarding the Russian WTO membership with Putin’s presidency and the possible causes of the negative change in Putin’s rhetoric towards the WTO in his second presidential term are considered.