Simon Lester

This NY Times article about Iceland's geothermal energy is fascinating from a trade and investment perspetive. Basically, Iceland has lots of cheap, clean geothermal energy.  They currently use it to attract investment.  And they may lay a long cable so that they can export it: the power company

Inside U.S. Trade reports that some agriculture groups are upset with the idea of creating a special exception for tobacco products in the TPP, as has been proposed, because of the precedent it might set in other policy areas.  They argue: unlike health-related exceptions consistently included in trade agreements

From my friends at the JIEL: Editorial Assistant Position with the Journal of International Economic Law (JIEL) Professor John H. Jackson, University Professor of Law at Georgetown Law Center, is currently collecting recommendations or applications from persons who might wish to take on the position of Editorial Assistant to the

Many people (or at least, many holders of intellectual property and their advocates) are concerned about how Antigua might use cross-retaliation under TRIPS, in relation to the U.S. - Gambling case, to steal U.S. intellectual property. I still haven't heard anything concrete about what Antigua is

Here's a guest post by frequent commenter Aaron Cosbey of IISD, on a potentially very interesting SPS dispute: In a letter sent Feb. 19 to Ron Kirk, USTR, thirty-three US senators urged him to use “all enforcement tools available” to address Russia’s recent “ban” on US pork,

Before getting into the substance of the Seal Products dispute, let me take this opportunity to thank Rob for all of his reporting on the panel meetings.  I don't think I've ever come across such a detailed analysis of this part of the panel process.  I

From an opinion piece in the National Interest: A U.S.-EU deal may simultaneously reverse important trends governing international investment. ... While ISD clauses are widespread, they usually exist within the context of treaties between states characterized by economic asymmetries. For instance, of the more than 2000 bilateral investment treaties

Recall the dissent on the issue of "benefit" in the Canada - Renewable Energy panel report, mentioned here.  It's a fascinating and complex issue, related to whether there is a market in the electricity industry that can be used as a benchmark. In Japan's

From last night's State of the Union speech by President Obama: tonight, I am announcing that we will launch talks on a comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union I was skeptical that this would ever happen, but now it seems to be happening.  It

From a letter to the editor to the Washington Post: The Post’s Feb. 5 editorial “Holding our breath,” on the Food and Drug Administration’s inaction on tobacco-related issues, noted that “flavored cigarettes have been banned” and “menthol cigarettes . . . are still on sale.” Menthol is the most deadly tobacco