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Simon Lester

Simon Lester

Co-founder of WorldTradeLaw.net and China Trade Monitor. Non-resident fellow at the Baker Institute.

http://simonlester.com

Policy Space

From a letter to the editor in the Economist, written by Robert Wade of LSE, commenting on the Doha negotiations: Several developing countries now have big enough markets to give them leverage over rules of access to their markets, and their governments could take the lead in revising current rules

Gambling Updates

My favorite source for Gambling case news, the Antigua Sun, has this update: A new deadline has been put in effect for Antigua and the US to reach an agreement concerning the ongoing online gaming dispute. The date of 1 Oct., has been set as the time the two countries

Tariff Preference Discrimination

Via Eyes on Trade, I came across an article in Newsweek about a request by Chevron that the U.S. stop giving certain tariff preferences to Ecuador: Few legal battles have been more exotic than the lawsuit tried over the past five years in a steamy jungle courtroom in Ecuador

Blaming Lamy

Some people are now blaming Pascal Lamy for the recent failure to conclude the Doha Round: Observers say a big share of the blame for the failure should also be borne by Lamy, for he convened the mini-ministerial when even he was doubtful about its success. I'm

McCain On NAFTA "Harmonization"

More from the WSJ trade discussion between Obama and McCain advisers. Question #4: ... For the McCain camp: Nafta came into effect 14 years ago. What parts aren’t working well? Would you look to remake parts of the pact? ... Philip I. Levy advises the McCain campaign on international trade and

Obama's Views on NAFTA Investment Rules

The WSJ has a nice question and answer / debate on trade issues between leading Obama and McCain advisers. Here's Obama adviser Dan Tarullo's response to a question about what exactly Obama does not like about NAFTA: Question #4: Sen. Obama has said he would renegotiate Nafta.

Trade in Everything: School Teachers

From the Washington Post Magazine: This was the fourth year that the county had hired teachers from the Philippines, an increasingly popular source of manpower for U.S. school systems. In Prince George's, the Filipinos were scattered throughout the county, teaching pre-kindergarten through high school, and all

Thank You For Smoking (Certain Kinds of Cigarettes)

The issue of a ban on clove cigarettes is still lingering. In an article on legislation that would give the FDA authority to regulate tobacco, the NY Times notes: The bill would ban candy, fruit and spice-flavored cigarettes, including clove cigarettes, but menthol cigarettes would be exempt from the

"Sovereignty, Supremacy and Subsidiarity"

As the WTO Members try to make some new international law through the Doha Round, and Congress questions the role of Appellate Body rulings, this new book asks the time timely question "how should the authority to make and interpret international law be allocated among states, international organizations and

What if They Held Trade Talks and Nobody Protested?

From Reuters (via IATP): Some diplomats said the lack of protests also put a damper on the talks, in which ministers are seeking to agree on cuts to politically sensitive farm subsidies and import duties. "It makes me feel less important," joked one official.