International Economic Law and Policy Blog

Sign in Subscribe

Joel Trachtman

Joel P. Trachtman is Professor Emeritus of International Law at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where he has taught since 1989.

Impasse at the WTO on investment facilitation—the way forward

Guest Post by Karl P. Sauvant and Rajesh Aggarwal · At the March 2026 Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), India blocked the adoption of the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement (IFDA), a plurilateral initiative backed by 131 members, including 94 developing countries. India stood alone after South Africa

Tiptoeing into the Polycene:[1] Launch of the Integrated Forum on Climate Change and Trade

On November 7, during the Belém Climate Summit, President Luís Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil launched the Integrated Forum on Climate Change and Trade (IFCCT). The IFCCT is a recognition of the need to integrate trade policy and climate policy. It is a “space for dialog” intended to “bring

Initial thoughts on V.O.S. Selections v. U.S. (Court of International Trade per curiam, 5/28/25)

In a clear and decisive opinion, the CIT has struck down as unlawful the tariffs imposed by President Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) (i) worldwide to “retaliate” for purported balance of trade reasons against alleged trade barriers imposed by other states, and (ii) on Canada, Mexico,

Dark Globalization: Authoritarian Arbitrage in the Case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia

One dimension of the current case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia concerns the dark side of globalization: arbitrage by authoritarians to subvert constitutional and human rights protections. Abrego Garcia has been strategically disenfranchised through jurisdictional arbitrage implemented by physical transfer to El Salvador. If he remained in the U.S., he

Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS) among Costa Rica, Iceland, New Zealand, and Switzerland, 15 November 2024

In mid-November 2024, four small trading states entered into an historic agreement. Its purposes are stated as follows (Art. 1.1): * removing tariffs on environmental goods; * liberalising trade in environmental and environmentally related services; * disciplining and eliminating harmful fossil fuel subsidies in order to mitigate their adverse impact on

From Karl Sauvant on an Advisory Centre on International Investment Law

9 March 2023 Establishing an Advisory Centre on International Investment Law: Key challenges ahead by Karl P. Sauvant* Over 130 countries (of which some 80 developing countries, including 18 least developed countries) have so far faced treaty-based international investment disputes (74 new disputes in 2021 alone), for a total

Three reasons why a WTO Agreement on Investment Facilitation for Development is important, by Karl P. Sauvant

Three reasons why a WTO Agreement on Investment Facilitation for Development is important by Karl P. Sauvant* After several years of preparatory discussions, negotiations on an Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement were formally launched in September 2020. They are open-ended plurilateral negotiations, but they aim at a multilaterally

Tenure Track IEL Job at Fletcher

The Fletcher School is seeking a professor of international economic law. Posted here: http://apply.interfolio.com/112725 Description The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, a leading graduate school of international relations, seeks to fill a full-time faculty position in international economic law at the assistant professor level.

Is International Trade Law the Problem?

The formidable Todd Tucker says that “The Green New Deal Has an International Law Problem.” I don’t think that the “green” aspects of a GND--meaning carbon taxes or permits and border tax adjustments--would have much of a problem. I’ll focus on the trade issues, and leave

AJIL Agora on Pandemic

The American Journal of International Law is issuing a worldwide call for papers for an Agora symposium to be published in the October 2020 issue of the Journal. The topic – “The International Legal Order and the Global Pandemic” – recognizes that the present crisis raises foundational questions for the international legal