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GATT Article III:4: Is Disparate Impact Enough?

Here is the entirety of the WTO Seal Products panel's GATT Article III:4 analysis: 7.4.3.2 Analysis by the Panel 7.604. Article III:4 of the GATT 1994 provides that: The products of the territory of any Member imported into the territory of any
Simon Lester 25 Nov 2013 2 min read

The Seal Panel Report: TBT Article 2.1 v. Article 2.2

The panel report on the seal case is out. http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news13_e/400_401r_e.htm  Obviously, there is a lot to digest there. Let me raise just one issue. The panel ruled that the EC Seal Regime was justifiable (necessary) under TBT Article
Sungjoon Cho 25 Nov 2013 1 min read

How to Bury the Peace Clause-and Resurrect Bali

I am inclined to the view that failure at Bali may be just what is needed to get the WTO to make a fresh start, creating an agenda that corresponds to the needs of this century not the last.  At the same time, I've been impressed by the
Rob Howse 23 Nov 2013 3 min read

The Peace Clause a Trojan Horse

Among the reaons, and there are many, why India is among the world's great democracies, is the quality and political responsibility of its journalists. An article just published in an Indian newspaper explores brilliantly how the peace clause to which India seems to have acquiesced-but already apparently with
Rob Howse 21 Nov 2013 1 min read

Law and Politics at the WTO:India turns the tables on food security opponents

The saga of the G33 food security proposal in the WTO negotiations is a fascinating tale of law and politics. India has been a leader of this proposal, which would be a good start in bringing WTO norms more fully into alignment with the right to food in international law.
Rob Howse 21 Nov 2013 2 min read

Fire-Resistant Furniture and the TBT Agreement

The Peter Van den Bossche/Werner Zdouc WTO law textbook says this: A requirement that imported furniture is fire-resistant, while no such requirement exists for domestically produced furniture, would constitute a violation of the national treatment obligation set out in Article 2.1 of the TBT Agreement. That's
Simon Lester 18 Nov 2013 1 min read

The Tea Party and Trade

Some recent news headlines about the tea party and trade: "Hill tea party’s next target: Barack Obama’s trade agenda" "Tea Party Joins Liberals in Push Against Fast-Tracked Trade" An excerpt: Tea party Republicans insist they’re in favor of free trade. They just don’
Simon Lester 18 Nov 2013 2 min read

The Secret TPP IP Chapter Is No Longer Secret

Thanks to WikiLeaks:  http://wikileaks.org/tpp/  (Also thanks to whoever gave it to WikiLeaks.) So what's in it?  Way too much to discuss quickly, especially since I just returned last night from a conference over in Prague.  But any of you IP experts out there should feel
Simon Lester 14 Nov 2013 1 min read

THE ABSENCE OF SUSPENSIVE MEASURES IN THE WTO AND WHY THE FAROE ISLANDS TAKES ITS CASE ALSO TO UNCLOS

Intrigued by the Faroe Islands simultaneous WTO and UNCLOS complaints, I think I finally understand that the Faroe Islands hopes to benefits from a feature of UNCOS that is completely absent in the WTO dispute settlement process. The fact is that the International Tribunal for the Law of the SEA
Marc Benitah 11 Nov 2013 1 min read

The Faroe Islands Herring Dispute

Marc mentioned it on this blog the other day.  The consultations request is here.  Some key parts: - The Facts 6. The Atlanto Scandian herring is shared between the respective exclusive zones of five coastal States, namely the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, and, to some extent, the
Simon Lester 07 Nov 2013 3 min read

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USMCA Review and Extension Predictions

When the idea of an expiration clause was suggested during the NAFTA renegotiation, I was against it from the start, and Inu and I wrote a pretty critical piece about it at the time. A review is great, we said, let's definitely have reviews, and there are plenty of ways to do that.
08 Apr 2026 5 min read

The Section 301 Surge Continues: Investigating the Adoption/Enforcement/Administration of Forced Labor Import Bans

This Section 301 investigation intends to pressure all sixty named trade partners (even, inexplicably, including Canada and Mexico) to adopt similar enforcement procedures. This announcement is highly problematic for the four reasons I address below.
16 Mar 2026 4 min read

The Section 301 Surge Is Upon Us: Investigating Excess Capacity and Production

The first of a large batch of expected Section 301 investigations has arrived, as USTR announced yesterday that it was initiating investigations on acts, policies, and practices of various countries/economies "relating to structural excess capacity and production in manufacturing sectors."
12 Mar 2026 3 min read

Debunking the "Hyperglobalization" Trade Policy Myth

Policy is often shaped by narratives, and recently there has been a bipartisan effort to create a narrative that, starting in the early 1990s, globalization and free trade went too far.
03 Mar 2026 8 min read

Guest Post: Are President Trump’s New Section 122 Tariffs Legal?

This is a guest post from Bryan Riley and Joe Bishop-Henchman. Bryan is Director of the Free Trade Initiative at the National Taxpayers Union; Joe is Executive Vice President at the National Taxpayers Union Foundation President Trump has issued new 10% tariffs, shortly after raised to 15%, based on Section
24 Feb 2026 6 min read

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