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Simon Lester

No Search For You!

I don't know what China's GATS commitments are in this area, but at least in principle this seems like a national treatment violation if the government was involved: US Internet search engines in China were being hijacked and directed to Chinese-owned Baidu, analysts said Wednesday, speculating

Ron Paul on Trade Agreements

He's not a leading candidate, but Ron Paul does have a devoted group of libertarian followers. His view on trade, as I understand it, is that we should practice free trade, but we don't need trade agreements and international institutions to accomplish this. But this statement

The WTO, Cotton, and Fruits and Vegetables

Recent news reports indicate that the U.S. has lost before the compliance panel in the Cotton dispute. I always found the planting restrictions on fruits and vegetables that became an issue in the case very confusing from a policy perspective (why are we discouraging fruits and vegetables?), but this

Environmental Subsidies and their Trade Effects

My feeling has always been that many alleged trade and the environment conflicts are overblown. But here's a conflict that seems real and problematic: The European Biodiesel Board (EBB) said it plans to submit antidumping trade complaints to the European Union and the World Trade Organization against U.

More on the Gary Kaplan Prosecution and his WTO Defense

Following-up on my earlier post, first, as of a couple weeks ago Gary Kaplan was still in jail, with bail having been denied. Second, how long before they make a Law and Order episode about this case? Third, here is a brief overview of some of the arguments he makes

A WTO Decision as a Defense in a Domestic Criminal Proceeding

Now this is interesting. I haven't had a chance to digest it fully, but I thought it worth noting for everyone now. I may come back to it once I've had a chance to think about it more. A few months ago, the FBI arrested BETonSPORTS.

Call for Papers: Asian Journal of WTO and International Health Law and Policy

National Taiwan University's Asian Journal of WTO and International Health Law and Policy is calling for papers for its March 2008 issue. Submission deadline is November 20, 2007. More information here: http://www.law.ntu.edu.tw/center/wto/05publications.asp?tb_index=25

Free Trade Funnies

Check out Jon Stewart on free trade and globalization (you have to wait through a short commercial).

More Gambling Submissions

The Antigua legal team has posted some new documents related to the Article 22.6 arbitration in the Gambling dispute, including a written submission which, among other things, responds to some of the U.S. arguments. One important aspect of the parties' disagreement is the following. In arguing for

The State of the Doha Round

The state of the Doha Round is not good. Consider the following. From the U.S.: "U.S. officials lashed out at India, Brazil and other large developing nations, saying that their proposal to exempt a broad range of industrial goods from tariff cuts could blow up continuing global