TRIPS functioned as a political document rather than an economic or legal one.

Evidence

In his account, TRIPS was not an economic document nor even a legal document: “It is a political document. The decision to bring cases is a political decision. The decision to push a case in terms of supporting a certain interpretation is a political decision.” — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 200

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader theme of how ‘free market’ policy vehicles are actually wielded as instruments of state/geopolitical power. — connects to: Colonial power could be asserted through theatrical legal documents rather than force. — Edward W. Said, Orientalism, 209; Markets are political projects, not natural outcomes of state removal — Mark Blyth, Austerity: The History of a Dangerous…, 266

Broader Connections

• Colonial power could be asserted through theatrical legal documents rather than force. #exemplifies (0.78) — Edward W. Said, Orientalism, 209
• Markets are political projects, not natural outcomes of state removal #exemplifies (0.74) — Mark Blyth, Austerity, 266