International economic law and policy blog

International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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Thinking About the Trump Administration’s "Doctrine of Economic Statecraft"

Mohamed Aly El-Erian, a professor at the Wharton School who was chair of President Obama's Global Development Council, had a recent NY Times op-ed entitled "America Was Being Played. The Bessent Doctrine Says Those Days Are Over."

Stephen Miran on Optimal Tariffs

In a recent WSJ op-ed (which Julia Qin mentioned in the comments here), former Trump administration Council of Economic Advisers chair Stephen Miran makes the case for an "optimal tariff in the region of 10% to 40%."

How Are U.S. Goods Exports to Canada and Mexico Doing under Trump’s Trade Policies?

Previous posts on this blog have looked at trends in U.S. exports under the Trump administration’s trade policies, focusing on either specific categories of products or on the top U.S. trade partners. This post combines these two elements.

Governments Make Their Case Against Section 301 Forced Labor Tariffs

Last month, USTR made a determination in its Section 301 investigation into "Acts, Policies, and Practices of Various Economies Related to the Failure To Impose and Effectively Enforce a Prohibition on the Importation of Goods Produced With Forced Labor."

Remembering David Kleimann

The trade community mourns the loss of David Kleimann, a formidable trade expert and friend. David was most recently at S-Curve Economics, but also held posts at ODI, Bruegel, and Georgetown Law, among others. His research sat at the intersection of international trade law, EU external economic governance, and

How Should the EU Get Tough with China? Unilateral Action vs. WTO Complaints

I've seen several recent calls for the EU to get tougher in its economic relations with China, along with arguments that it has been too slow to act against the Chinese economic threat.

Call for Panels, Papers and Poster: SIEL 2027

This is from SIEL: Reimagining International Economic Law: Reasons, Challenges, and Future Directions 7-9 July 2027, Christchurch (New Zealand) The Tenth Biennial Global Conference of the Society of International Economic Law (SIEL) will take place in Christchurch, New Zealand, from 7 till 9 July 2027, hosted by the University

Trump Administration Decides Not To Extend USMCA for Another Term: What Does That Mean Exactly?

Today, as part of the first joint review of the USMCA, the three governments held a virtual meeting.

Competing Views of Sovereignty: The Haves vs. The Have Nots in AI (and Steel)

It's interesting to watch how political leaders craft narratives around economic competition that reflect their own country's strengths and weaknesses.

Lighthizer on Whether Tariffs are Going Anywhere after 2028

This is an exchange in a recent conversation between former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Gerald Butts of the Eurasia Group: Butts: And just to be clear about this, because I think it's a really important point, and this is one point we definitely agree on: