In April 2001, the US and EU announced the end of a trade dispute over the sale of bananas into the EU market. The allocation of import licenses had been found to violate World Trade Organization rules and to discriminate against suppliers from Latin America. This book examines the issues surrounding the dispute, in particular: the dependence of Caribbean economies on European markets, the role of the public and private sectors, its relation to political tensions of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy, domestic political influence in the US, and the role of the WTO and its settlement of trade disputes. Written by leading authorities from the USA, Europe, Central America and the Caribbean, the book provides a fascinating insight into this complex story, and has wide implications for international trade.