A predictable, rules-based trading system is not an abstract ideal; it is a strategic necessity. Approximately 70 per cent of global trade still operates under WTO rules, binding economies and supply chains into a highly interconnected ecosystem. If the WTO fails, the consequences would be severe: a 5-7 per cent drop in global GDP, deep losses for open economies, and disproportionate harm to low-income and smaller economies that rely most on fair, enforceable rules.