The questions varied across a wide range of environmental, labor and political issues that are affected by international trade policies.

But the broad spectrum of the discussion, which touched on topics like prison labor in the U.S. and the Asian Monetary Fund, meant that Wallach and Shapiro did not clash frequently on specific subjects.

Many of the questions focused on the much-publicized protests of the WTO's recent round of negotiations in Seattle.

Wallach repeated a motto that protesters chanted outside the Seattle talks, "No new round, turn around," and explained that the motto urged the WTO to change its existing policies before adopting new ones.

Shapiro, however, disagreed.

"Although we can admire [the protesters] for their tenacity and constancy, we cannot admire them for their wisdom or the accuracy of their judgements," he said.

The two also lawyers argued over some the specifics of the WTO's policies--in particular, the WTO's rejection of a U.S. law which bans the sale of shrimp which were caught with nets that entangle endangered turtles.