International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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Simon Lester

The Latest on Currency Disputes

I'm going to go out on (somewhat of) a limb, and predict that this legislation, or something like it, will pass and result in a major trade dispute in the near future: US lawmakers on Wednesday unveiled a plan to retaliate against countries, like China, that allegedly manipulate

Is the Intel Verdict Protectionist?

Some people say yes: American technology advocates and legal experts have roundly condemned the EU's decision to fine Intel nearly a billion pounds for breaking anti-trust laws. Grant Aldonas, Senior Advisor at the bipartisan Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), says, "This is a potentially costly

"U.S. trade chief wows partners, substance awaited"

That's how Reuters describes USTR Ron Kirk's Geneva trip. More here.

Interpreting International Law

On SSRN, Professor Michael Paulsen has posted "The Constitutional Power to Interpret International Law." An extract from the paper: What, then, of international bodies’ interpretations of international law, including international treaties to which the United States is party—such as the U.N. Charter, the Geneva Conventions, and

Is the Beef Hormones Dispute Settled?

My reading of the terms of the "provisional" agreement signed last week between the U.S. and EU on the WTO beef hormones dispute was that some small steps had been taken, but there was still a lot of work to be done. In particular, the key issue

The Impact of Buy America

Not so good for at least one Canadian company: A Toronto company that has been exporting pipe to the United States market for 60 years recently landed a contract to supply plastic piping for a new health-care centre at the Camp Pendleton Marine base in California. But the piping is

Would Bringing the WTO Seals Dispute Be Bad for Free Trade?

The Ottawa Citizen makes the case: Using trade-law arguments to force Europe to accept seal-hunt products from Canada, while tempting, could ultimately do more harm than good for trade in general. Opponents of free-trade agreements have long argued that such agreements have the potential to undermine national sovereignty. By invoking

More Sports and the Seals Dispute

I had not expected sports to play such a big role in Seals dispute. The other day I mentioned the role of former hockey player Peter Stastny. Now there's this: Canadian MPs have pushed forward a motion urging Canada's 2010 Olympic team to add seal skin

A "New Spirit" of U.S.-EU Trade Relations

From Reuters: Ashton, who took over from Peter Mandelson last October, said a "new spirit" of transatlantic cooperation had been fostered by the U.S. administration under President Barack Obama. So-called "carousel" duties from the United States in the beef dispute were one of then U.

9th Annual BIICL WTO Conference

BIICL's 9th Annual WTO Conference will be held in London on May 20-21. It has the usual outstanding group of participants: Welcome Professor John H. Jackson, Institute of International Economic Law, Georgetown University Law Center The Rt Honourable Sir Francis G. Jacobs KCMG QC, King's College