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Call for Papers: 4th Conference of the SIEL Postgraduate and Early Professionals/Academics Network

The Postgraduate and Early Professionals/Academics Network of the Society of International Economic Law has issued a call for papers for its fourth conference: 4th Conference of the Postgraduate and Early Professionals/Academics Network of the Society of International Economic Law (PEPA/SIEL) 2015 Milan, 16-17 April 2015 Organised by
Simon Lester 17 Oct 2014 2 min read

The Nature of "Serious Prejudice" Cases

In the comments on Sungjoon's post from the other day, Brett Williams said something really interesting: There are some aspects of this Cotton litigation which ought to be celebrated as great achievements of the system. ... Secondly, it was the first time (going all the way back to 1948)
Simon Lester 14 Oct 2014 2 min read

Speaking of Settling WTO Disputes ...

... as Sungjoon was in the last post, first up there's this announcement from the Canadian government: The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council; Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird; the Honourable Ed Fast, Minister
Simon Lester 13 Oct 2014 2 min read

To Perform (Comply) or Pay, That’s the Question!

The recent deal (settlement) between the United States and Brazil to end the long-standing cotton dispute has stirred up (old) controversy in the nature of WTO remedies, and more broadly the nature of the WTO itself: is the WTO a mere “contract” or something more than that, say, a “legal
Sungjoon Cho 09 Oct 2014 2 min read

Fixing ISDS vs. Excluding Tobacco Control from ISDS

Back in 2012, I argued against a carve out of tobacco from trade and investment rules, saying this: Let’s turn now to the argument, made by many critics of the current system, that existing trade rules that go beyond protectionism undermine national sovereignty, including the ability to regulate, and
Simon Lester 08 Oct 2014 4 min read

Tobacco Plain Packaging in India

This is a guest post from trade lawyer Adarsh Ramanujan: In a very interesting development in India relating to the plain packaging of tobacco products, the High Court of Allahabad (State of Uttar Pradesh) recently ordered that the Government of India "must consider to implement" the plain packaging
Simon Lester 05 Oct 2014 3 min read

TTIP Hurdles

I have a short Cato paper discussing how the TTIP could actually get done, despite a few big hurdles it is facing. I tried to be optimistic, maintain a positive outlook, and suggest a way forward. However, I should note that what I hear from people who actually are insiders
Simon Lester 02 Oct 2014 2 min read

CETA, Investment Obligations, and Public Debt

This is from the officially released CETA text (p. 184): Annex X: Public Debt 1. No claim that a restructuring of debt issued by a Party breaches an obligation under Sections [Non-Discriminatory Treatment, Investment Protection] may be submitted to, or if already submitted continue in, arbitration under Section 6 [Investor-State
Simon Lester 01 Oct 2014 1 min read

Does CETA Violate WTO Obligations? How About NAFTA Chapter 11?

This is from the U.S. dairy industry: The text of the European Union-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) released at the end of last week contains provisions on geographical indications (GIs) and reallocates a portion of the World Trade Organization tariff rate quota for cheese to the EU.
Simon Lester 01 Oct 2014 1 min read

Trade Liberalization and Tobacco Control

I've heard it suggested that opening up developing country tobacco markets to foreign competition will mean lower prices and greater consumption.  But is that true?  This article calls this into question: For more than two decades, public health scholars and proponents have demonstrated concern about the negative effects
Simon Lester 01 Oct 2014 1 min read

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International Economic Law and Policy Blog

International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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Tracking Goods Exports under the Trump Administration's Trade Policies

My sense is that one of the reasons some traditionally pro-trade members of Congress have continued to support Trump's trade policies, despite misgivings they may have about tariffs, is because they hope these policies will pry open foreign markets, leading to increased US exports.
07 May 2026 8 min read

Could Congress Extend the USMCA for Another Term?

People have been assuming that the decision on whether to extend the USMCA for another term is up to President Trump, but based on the language of the USMCA related to the upcoming joint review, could Congress actually have the power to make this decision on its own?
04 May 2026 4 min read

Is There No Going Back on Trade? What Is the Path Forward? A Response to Lighthizer

Former U.S. Trade Rep. Bob Lighthizer has a new essay in Foreign Affairs, and I have some thoughts. I'm going to start with his brief big picture points on the direction of U.S. trade policy, and then go through a couple of the specific concepts he emphasizes.
27 Apr 2026 6 min read

The Section 301 Excess Capacity Investigation Needs Less Madness, More Method

Shortly after the Supreme Court ruled President Trump’s emergency tariffs under IEEPA  unconstitutional, the administration scrambled to rebuild its tariff wall. While the announcement of Section 122 tariffs immediately following the ruling will provide a temporary patch, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office quickly began to utilize another
24 Apr 2026 6 min read

War Tariffs

This is a co-authored post by Kathleen Claussen and Tim Meyer. Last week, President Trump announced that the United States would be imposing new tariffs of 50 percent of the value of any product coming from any country that sells weapons or provides military aid to Iran. Some commentators questioned
14 Apr 2026 5 min read

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