<P> The operation of the WTO dispute settlement process involves case - specific panels appointed by the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB), the Appellate Body, The Director - General and the WTO Secretariat, arbitrators, and advisory experts . </P> <P> The priority is to settle disputes, preferably through a mutually agreed solution, and provision has been made for the process to be conducted in an efficient and timely manner so that "If a case is adjudicated, it should normally take no more than one year for a panel ruling and no more than 16 months if the case is appealed...If the complainant deems the case urgent, consideration of the case should take even less time . WTO member nations are obliged to accept the process as exclusive and compulsory . </P> <P> According to a 2018 study in the Journal of Politics, states are less likely and slower to enforce WTO violations when the violations affect states in a diffuse manner . This is because states face collective action problems with pursuing litigation: they all expect other states to carry the costs of litigation . A 2016 study in International Studies Quarterly challenges that the WTO dispute settlement system leads to greater increases in trade . </P> <P> The process of becoming a WTO member is unique to each applicant country, and the terms of accession are dependent upon the country's stage of economic development and current trade regime . The process takes about five years, on average, but it can last longer if the country is less than fully committed to the process or if political issues interfere . The shortest accession negotiation was that of the Kyrgyz Republic, while the longest was that of Russia, which, having first applied to join GATT in 1993, was approved for membership in December 2011 and became a WTO member on 22 August 2012 . Kazakhstan also had a long accession negotiation process . The Working Party on the Accession of Kazakhstan was established in 1996 and was approved for membership in 2015 . The second longest was that of Vanuatu, whose Working Party on the Accession of Vanuatu was established on 11 July 1995 . After a final meeting of the Working Party in October 2001, Vanuatu requested more time to consider its accession terms . In 2008, it indicated its interest to resume and conclude its WTO accession . The Working Party on the Accession of Vanuatu was reconvened informally on 4 April 2011 to discuss Vanuatu's future WTO membership . The re-convened Working Party completed its mandate on 2 May 2011 . The General Council formally approved the Accession Package of Vanuatu on 26 October 2011 . On 24 August 2012, the WTO welcomed Vanuatu as its 157th member . An offer of accession is only given once consensus is reached among interested parties . </P>

What is the wto and what is its history