In the 19th century Alexis de Tocqueville marvelled that in America the opulent did not stand aloof from the people.

ECONOMIST: Lexington

But shortly after he came to power, Mr Cameron told Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, that Britain would stand aloof from deeper integration aimed at shoring up the euro.

ECONOMIST: Bagehot

In return for giving up national vetoes, Britain and Ireland have obtained the right to stand aloof from individual measures, but in practice may opt in quite often.

ECONOMIST: The small print of a notably complicated document

As for the WTO itself, bringing China in would not only open up what is potentially the world's biggest consumer market, but it would also ensure that China does not stand aloof from the trading rules that govern commerce in the globalized new century.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | WTO: Anatomy of a WTO Deal