Reluctant Partners: A History of Multilateral Trade Cooperation, 1850-2000

Published in 2003 by the University of Michigan Press, this scholarly work provides a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of the global trading system from the mid-19th century through the close of the 20th century. Andrew G. Brown, an economist with extensive experience in international trade policy and institutional development, wrote the text to address the underlying tensions and cooperative mechanisms that defined multilateral trade relations across a century and a half.

The book is structured as a historical investigation into how nations reconciled their domestic economic priorities with the increasingly interconnected requirements of global commerce. It covers the transition from colonial-era agreements to the formation of the World Trade Organization, exploring the political compromises necessitated by economic interdependence. Within the field of international relations and economic history, the text is regarded as a rigorous study of the institutional frameworks that have sustained global trade against the backdrop of changing geopolitical interests.