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Simon Lester

Infant Industry Protection in 19th Century America

It has been argued -- for example, here -- that today's industrialized countries got that way (that is, industrialized) by using a tariff to protect their infant industries from foreign competition, and that by using trade agreements to prevent developing countries from doing the same, the industrialized countries

A DOC Proposal to Stop Zeroing

From today's Federal Register (PDF version here), a proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Commerce to stop zeroing in administrative reviews: Proposal for Calculating the Weighted Average Dumping Margin and Assessment Rate in Certain Antidumping Duty Proceedings and Request for CommentPursuant to section 123(g)(1)

The India Visa Fee Issue is Back

Recall the issue with a U.S. law that imposed a fee on visa applications where the companies involved have a high percentage of workers who use the special visas given to skilled foreign workers, discussed here and here. There seemed to be a disparate impact on India, and hence

Offshoring Lawyers

From The Economist: Some legal tasks cannot be done cheaply. If the fate of your company hinges on the verdict, you will want a brilliant lawyer to argue your case. But plenty of legal jobs are routine. American law firms typically get fresh law graduates to do such grunt work

A Discussion of Remand in EC - Aircraft

I just noticed the EU's brief discussion of remand in its closing memorandum following the first hearing in the EC - Aircraft appeal: E. Completion of the Analysis and Remand 50. As the European Union stated in its Opening Statement, as a result of the Panel’s erroneous

Reporting on the GATT Negotiations

It's pretty well established that trade agreements today are controversial. But how does the situation compare to the past? I was recently digging around the NY Times archives for something non-trade related, and I thought I'd see what was being said about the original GATT negotiations.

Public Opinion on Investor-State

From a New Zealand publication: Concerns that the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) will result in the New Zealand Government being successfully sued by international corporations are unfounded and incorrect, says the NZ US Council. "It is absurd to suggest that the New Zealand Government would be so naive to

Cato Goes after Anti-Dumping

From Cato's Dan Ikenson, writing in Forbes: The U.S.antidumping law still enjoys broad bipartisan support in Congress and within pockets of the executive branch. Although some of that support can be chalked up to politicians representing the narrow interests of influential constituencies that have mastered the

GSP and the U.S. Sleeping Bag Industry

Reuters reports: Valuable U.S. trade benefits for about 130 developing countries could expire at the end of the year because of a Republican senator's objection to duty-free treatment for sleeping bags from Bangladesh. With Congress hoping to finish its work this week, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions is

Talking Trade in Thailand

From the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand: The American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (AMCHAM) plans on conducting a symposium in the latter part of 2011 on plurilateral and bilateral FTAs generally and the challenges Thailand will likely face meeting its AFTA obligations by 2015 specifically. As part of