Becerra is Out
Politico reports:
Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) has declined to take the position of U.S. Trade Representative, his spokeswoman, Fabiola Rodriguez-Ciampoli, confirms ...
Simon Lester
Another Candidate for U.S. Trade Rep.?
From Doug Palmer at Reuters:
NBC's local affiliate in the Dallas area reported on Sunday it had been told by an "extremely high level source" that [former Dallas Mayor Ron] Kirk was one of two finalists for two different administration jobs: U.S. trade representative and
Dani Rodrik on Policy Space
Dani Rodrik argues:
Developing nations also need to enshrine the notion of "policy space" in the World Trade Organization. The goal would be to ensure that developing countries can employ the kind of trade and industrial policies needed to restructure and diversify their economies and set the stage
Barcelo on Burdens
John Barcelo has posted an article on SSRN called "Burden of Proof, Prima Facie Case and Presumption into WTO Dispute Settlement." The abstract:
The essay maintains that the WTO Appellate Body's concepts and terminology concerning a claimant's burden of proof-the concepts of prima
More Muddling of "Interpret" and "Clarify"
In the recent decision in Bananas, the AB had this to say about "interpretations" under WTO Agreement Article IX:2:
383. Multilateral interpretations of provisions of WTO law are the next method identified above.
Article IX:2 of the WTO Agreement sets out specific requirements for decisions that
Trade in Everything: Hooter's Restaurants
From the Palm Beach Post:
The American Owl — the Chinese name for Hooters — has capitalized on such trademarks of American culture to prosper in China. Since opening the first American Owl in 2004, owner Jim Li has expanded the chain to five restaurants in three cities.
"Hooters has a
Eric Posner Imagines a Non-Discriminatory Auto Bailout
From the Volokh Conspiracy:
The government would offer cheap loans to foreign automakers as well as domestic automakers, for example. The stimulus would benefit the Japanese and German economies as well as the American economy, but it would not give any advantage to American automakers unless their problem is really
A (Limited) Obama NAFTA Update
From an interview with the LA Times:
Q: ... Also, on NAFTA, we've heard that you might support maybe a study and then a report, instead of a wholesale reworking of the agreement right away?
[Obama]: Well look, my economic team is reviewing these issues. You know, I'
The Supreme Court Hears a Dumping Case
ScotusWiki summarizes here.
From the argument preview they prepared:
Tomorrow in Nos. 07-1078 and 07-1059, USEC v. Eurodif and United States v. Eurodif, the Supreme Court will consider whether the Federal Circuit should have accorded Chevron deference to the Commerce Department’s construction of 19 U.S.C.
Trade News
Those of you who read this blog at the web site (as opposed to a feed reader or email) probably noticed the trade news articles on the right side of the page. This is something we are working on for WorldTradeLaw.net, but thought we'd try it out