International economic law and policy blog

International Economic Law and Policy Blog

Sign in Subscribe

Latest — 20 May 2026

Trade War Games (Review of How To Win a Trade War)

This blog post will offer a brief review of "How To Win a Trade War," by famous podcasters and think tankers/journalists Chad Bown and Soumaya Keynes. I wanted to post something in time for their official book launch (which is today), but I only got the book

Guest Post: Takeaways from Recent U.S.-China Trade Deals

This is a guest post by Bryan Riley, Director of the National Taxpayers Union’s Free Trade Initiative Details of the Trump Administration’s recent deals with China have yet to be released, but a few key goals have been announced by the White House. ✔ China will meet its 2025

Assigning Blame for Trade Imbalances

Finance professor Michael Pettis writes often about trade imbalances, and as I've followed what he has to say on this subject over the years, I've tried to figure out where exactly he and I disagree.

Collective Restraint vs. Unilateral Action vs. Collective Action in the Face of Overcapacity/Non-Market Policies

There was an interesting exchange at last week's WTO General Council meeting, as Korea submitted a communication entitled "Preserving the spirit of open and predictable trade: Collective restraint against actions undermining trade liberalization." In this communication, Korea raised concerns about the response of other governments to

Guest Post: Section 301 on Forced Labor - A Closer Look at the Public Hearings

The Section 301 Investigation on forced labor has reached the stage of the public hearings. Between April 28 and 29, around 60 representatives of countries, business associations and non-governmental organizations offered their input to inform the USTR determination following the initiation notice.

Tracking Goods Exports under the Trump Administration's Trade Policies

My sense is that one of the reasons some traditionally pro-trade members of Congress have continued to support Trump's trade policies, despite misgivings they may have about tariffs, is because they hope these policies will pry open foreign markets, leading to increased US exports.

Could Congress Extend the USMCA for Another Term?

People have been assuming that the decision on whether to extend the USMCA for another term is up to President Trump, but based on the language of the USMCA related to the upcoming joint review, could Congress actually have the power to make this decision on its own?

A WTO-Compatible Climate Club that Solves our Climate Problem

We argue that the inability of the Paris Climate Agreement to stop the increase in carbon dioxide emissions is because its “name and shame” approach ignores the science of the requirements for an effective international cooperative agreement on climate policy.

Is There No Going Back on Trade? What Is the Path Forward? A Response to Lighthizer

Former U.S. Trade Rep. Bob Lighthizer has a new essay in Foreign Affairs, and I have some thoughts. I'm going to start with his brief big picture points on the direction of U.S. trade policy, and then go through a couple of the specific concepts he emphasizes.

The Section 301 Excess Capacity Investigation Needs Less Madness, More Method

Shortly after the Supreme Court ruled President Trump’s emergency tariffs under IEEPA unconstitutional, the administration scrambled to rebuild its tariff wall. While the announcement of Section 122 tariffs immediately following the ruling will provide a temporary patch, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office quickly began to utilize another