International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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Simon Lester

Matthew Schaefer on Trump Administration Trade Policy: A Historical Perspective and Key Questions & Takeaways

The following is an excerpt from a new Yeutter Institute piece by University of Nebraska law professor Matthew Schaefer entitled "Trump Administration Trade Policy: A Historical Perspective and Key Questions & Takeaways," offering a good roundup of a lot of the biggest trade policy issues out there at

Todd Tucker on Tariffs and the Role of Courts

In an op-ed in the FT entitled "Opponents of Trump’s tariffs should be wary of relying on the courts," Todd Tucker argues against U.S. courts striking down Trump's IEEPA tariffs. I have some questions and comments on his views of this issue, focusing on

Guest Post: Trump, Trade and Coercion

This is a guest post from Boston College law professor Frank Garcia. (Cross-posted from the Cambridge University press blog) The first year of Trump’s second term has been a chaotic one for trade, as for so much else. Before inauguration, the President had already threatened tariffs against Denmark to

New Security Exception Language Establishes a Two-Tiered Approach

Via Mona Paulsen and Devon Whittle, I see that Chapter 28 of the UK-India trade agreement has some interesting new language on security exceptions. It starts off as expected, with the following: Article 28.2 Security Exceptions 1. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to: (a) require a Party

Jamieson Greer on Remaking the Global Trade Order

U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer had a NY Times op-ed yesterday entitled "Why We Remade the Global Order." I have a few reactions to specific things he said. I'll quote some points from the op-ed and then give a brief response. Greer: Our current, nameless

Trump Pushes Big Pharma on Controlling U.S. Prices

Following up on a previous post of mine, let's check in on the Trump administration's efforts to lower drug prices in the U.S. market. A White House fact sheet from last week explains that "Trump sent letters to leading pharmaceutical manufacturers outlining the steps

Call for Submissions: “Into the Future of Global Trade: Tackling Fragmentation, Protectionism, Tariffs, and Beyond”

The Trade, Law and Development (TL&D) journal has issued a Call for Submissions for a special issue on “Into the Future of Global Trade: Tackling Fragmentation, Protectionism, Tariffs, and Beyond.” The call is here. This is an excerpt: While the theme is broad enough to cover a wide

Enforcing the Market Opening Commitments in the Trump Trade Deals

In an interview with Bloomberg last week, U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer was asked about enforcement of all the recently negotiated trade deals: Question: On implementing those deals ... you mentioned that you would be looking and monitoring them for any violations. How will this administration judge what is a

Will Trump's Trade Deals Increase U.S. Exports?

One of the criticisms of the Biden administration on trade policy was that it didn't put enough effort into improving access for U.S. producers to foreign markets. The Trump administration, by contrast, has made this one of its priorities. But will its approach to market access work?

To What Extent Are the Trade Negotiations about Security?

On the face of things, the trade negotiations triggered by President Trump's unilateral actions are focused on various trade-related objectives. Trump thinks higher U.S. tariffs are a good way to do some mix of the following: reshore domestic manufacturing, reduce the U.S. trade deficit, and increase