Thrown in at the deep end: South Africa and the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations 1986-1994

South Africa's readmission into the multilateral trade system in the early 1990s was one of the key events that marked the end of decades of international ostracism brought about by the country's apartheid policies. By participating in the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations and acceding to the Marrakesh Agreement of the GATT/WTO in 1994, South Africa agreed to liberalise its trade policies in line with the rules-based global trade regime after decades of estrangement from the GATT operations and disciplines. Although South Africa had taken part in all the previous rounds of multilateral trade liberalisation, years of international isolation prevented the country from benefiting from the considerable liberalisation attained in the successive preUruguay Round negotiations. Even so, it appears that the Uruguay Round had a significant political and economic impact on South Africa. The normalisation of South Africa's trade relations and the reinstatement of its trade prerogatives within the WTO elicited a favourable disposition towards the country. Trade reforms implemented in line with Uruguay Round commitments laid the foundation for major changes in the South African economy. South Africa, however, still has a long way to go before it can achieve its long-term goal of becoming a globally competitive, outward-oriented manufacturing and services economy