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Suddenly, Americans Like Trade Again

Here are some Gallup poll numbers on Americans' feelings about trade: Of course, the question is terribly phrased.  It contrasts "growth through exports" with a "threat from imports."  It has mercantilism embedded in it! But nevertheless, the most recent polling is kind of surprising.  The
Simon Lester 03 Mar 2013 1 min read

The Difficulty of Negotiating Investment Rules

Canada and the EU are having some trouble, apparently: A set of leaked documents obtained by The Canadian Press show Canada and the European Union are still far apart in deciding how much power investors should have under their pending free-trade agreement. A Feb. 7 draft of the investment text
Simon Lester 03 Mar 2013 1 min read

Iceland, Clean Energy, and Trade Policy

This NY Times article about Iceland's geothermal energy is fascinating from a trade and investment perspetive. Basically, Iceland has lots of cheap, clean geothermal energy.  They currently use it to attract investment.  And they may lay a long cable so that they can export it: the power company
Simon Lester 03 Mar 2013 1 min read

Necessity Tests in the TPP

Inside U.S. Trade reports that some agriculture groups are upset with the idea of creating a special exception for tobacco products in the TPP, as has been proposed, because of the precedent it might set in other policy areas.  They argue: unlike health-related exceptions consistently included in trade agreements
Simon Lester 27 Feb 2013 1 min read

Editorial Assistant Position with the JIEL

From my friends at the JIEL: Editorial Assistant Position with the Journal of International Economic Law (JIEL) Professor John H. Jackson, University Professor of Law at Georgetown Law Center, is currently collecting recommendations or applications from persons who might wish to take on the position of Editorial Assistant to the
Simon Lester 27 Feb 2013 1 min read

How Should Antigua Cross-Retaliate?

Many people (or at least, many holders of intellectual property and their advocates) are concerned about how Antigua might use cross-retaliation under TRIPS, in relation to the U.S. - Gambling case, to steal U.S. intellectual property. I still haven't heard anything concrete about what Antigua is
Simon Lester 25 Feb 2013 2 min read

Aaron Cosbey on Codex, ractopamine and pork – a twisted tail

Here's a guest post by frequent commenter Aaron Cosbey of IISD, on a potentially very interesting SPS dispute: In a letter sent Feb. 19 to Ron Kirk, USTR, thirty-three US senators urged him to use “all enforcement tools available” to address Russia’s recent “ban” on US pork,
Simon Lester 24 Feb 2013 2 min read

How I Am Thinking about the Discrimination Issues in the Seal Products Dispute

Before getting into the substance of the Seal Products dispute, let me take this opportunity to thank Rob for all of his reporting on the panel meetings.  I don't think I've ever come across such a detailed analysis of this part of the panel process.  I
Simon Lester 22 Feb 2013 2 min read

The "Closed List" Canard

Beginning with this post, a few further observations on the hearings, as I review my notes on the plane home. One of the mantras repeated by the complainants is that the indigenous exception is discriminatory because it crates a closed list of countries that can benefit from the exception.  The
Rob Howse 21 Feb 2013 3 min read

Seals Day Two: Further Observations

Another interesting aspect of day two was that Norway began to break ranks with Canada, claiming that the practices depicted in the EU's videos of the Canadian Hunt would not be tolerated by Norway, what the hunt is under constant inspection.  But the EU pointed to the limited
Rob Howse 20 Feb 2013 1 min read

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International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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Jamieson Greer on the 30 Year Aberration in U.S. Trade Policy

When he was in Davos last week for the World Economic Forum, U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer talked a bit about U.S. trade policy history and described a recent period during which, in his view, U.S. trade policy shifted away from tariffs/protectionism and towards free trade.
29 Jan 2026 6 min read

Is this the end of MFN as we know it? The EU submission on WTO reform and the meaning of development

With the release of the EU submission on WTO reform, it has become clear that the MFN principle’s central role within the WTO architecture is under challenge. As a keystone, it risks the entire bridge falling. Even if the foundations are retained but deemed outdated or unusable, and a
23 Jan 2026 3 min read

Can "Geopolitical" Tariffs Be Dealt With through Trade Deals?

Last Friday, U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer was asked about Trump's initial suggestion of tariffs related to the goal of taking over Greenland
20 Jan 2026 4 min read

Is Foreign Antitrust Enforcement "Discriminatory" and "Anti-American"?

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust held a hearing in December on "Anti-American Antitrust: How Foreign Governments Target U.S. Businesses." There was a lot of talk at the hearing about how foreign regulations and regulators "discriminate" against American companies.
05 Jan 2026 5 min read

Pennsylvania Court Finds Mexican Government Guilty of "Discrimination" Due To Its Subsidies

I'm always interested in how courts apply the concept of "discrimination" in the context of international trade, so I've been eagerly awaiting a Pennsylvania court decision in a case against Mexico.
12 Dec 2025 8 min read

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