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The International Economic Law of "Seasteading"

I stumbled across this very interesting news article: Pay Pal founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel has given $1.25 million to an initiative to create floating libertarian countries in international waters, according to a profile of the billionaire in Details magazine. Thiel has been a big backer of
Simon Lester 16 Aug 2011 2 min read

Seals vs. Sardines

From Namibia's statement at the DSB meeting where the Seal Products panel was established for the Norwegian compaint (DS401): 68. Namibia also wished to turn to some specific seals concerns, which highlighted the importance of trade in seal products for Namibia.  The seal population in Namibia had grown
Simon Lester 15 Aug 2011 1 min read

Call for Papers for International Arbitration Conference

The Institute for Transnational Arbitration has issued a call for papers for its First Annual Winter Forum, to be held February 2-3, 2012, in San Francisco: THE INSTITUTE FOR TRANSNATIONAL ARBITRATION 1st Annual Winter Forum SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA INTERCONTINENTAL MARK HOPKINS SAN FRANCISCO February 2-3, 2012 CALL FOR
Simon Lester 15 Aug 2011 2 min read

Is China's Currency Policy Protectionist At All?

The Economist isn't so sure: A beefed-up version of the Big Mac index suggests that the Chinese yuan is now close to its fair value against the dollar. More from Scott Lincicome here.
Simon Lester 15 Aug 2011 1 min read

Is China the Biggest Protectionist in History?

From Fred Bergsten: But China and some other emerging markets, especially in its immediate neighborhood, are also violating some of the most fundamental rules of the international economic system, to the great detriment of the United States and many other countries. A cardinal goal of the International Monetary Fund, which
Simon Lester 12 Aug 2011 1 min read

Protectionism and Japan's Tsunami Relief Effort

From USA Today: Almost four months after the March 11 tsunami destroyed their home, Kazuko Abe moved her family of four into temporary housing in July. "It doesn't matter to me who built the houses, I just wish they could have been quicker," said Abe, 66,
Simon Lester 10 Aug 2011 3 min read

Junior IEL Scholars Forum

From the IELIG: The International Economic Law Interest Group (IELIG) is pleased to announce its inaugural "Safe Spaces Roundtable" for junior scholars. The Safe Spaces Roundtable will provide junior scholars with detailed feedback from more senior colleagues on early drafts of their work. The Roundtable will be closed
Simon Lester 10 Aug 2011 1 min read

Using Trade Law to Enforce Investment Law

From Reuters: A U.S. company plans to ask the Obama administration for help in recovering more than $230 million it says it is owned by the government of Argentina, an attorney for the company said on Monday. Stephen Kho, a lawyer with the Akin Gump law firm, said it
Simon Lester 09 Aug 2011 1 min read

The Environmental Kuznets Curve and GATT Article XX

From last month's China - Exportation of Raw Materials panel report: 7.551 We now turn to analyse the second step in China's argument about the long-term benefits of export restrictions on EPR products, namely that there is a strong link between higher growth and environmental
Simon Lester 07 Aug 2011 2 min read

Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Seals ... and Sharks?

Marine life has played an important role in GATT/WTO dispute settlement.  Here's an argument for bringing sharks into the mix: Oceana, the largest international advocacy group working solely to protect the world’s oceans, called on the United States government today to ban the import of shark
Simon Lester 05 Aug 2011 1 min read

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Why Section 338 Does Not Work in a GATT/WTO World: Lessons from Trade Law History

On July 21, 2026, President Trump exercised his authority under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (hereinafter Section 338) to impose the maximum amount of additional tariffs (fifty per cent) on Canadian cars, alcohol, and dairy, owing to his determination of Canada’s discriminatory treatment of US exports.
23 Jul 2026 10 min read

EU WTO Reform Proposal Seeks To Extend Accession-Based State Enterprise Rules To All Members

In a new WTO reform paper entitled "Further Reflections on Disciplines, Subsidies and Industrial policy," the EU argues for stronger WTO disciplines on the behavior of state enterprises.
17 Jul 2026 5 min read

Governments Make Their Case Against Section 301 Forced Labor Tariffs

Last month, USTR made a determination in its Section 301 investigation into "Acts, Policies, and Practices of Various Economies Related to the Failure To Impose and Effectively Enforce a Prohibition on the Importation of Goods Produced With Forced Labor."
10 Jul 2026 5 min read

How Should the EU Get Tough with China? Unilateral Action vs. WTO Complaints

I've seen several recent calls for the EU to get tougher in its economic relations with China, along with arguments that it has been too slow to act against the Chinese economic threat.
06 Jul 2026 4 min read

Trump Administration Decides Not To Extend USMCA for Another Term: What Does That Mean Exactly?

Today, as part of the first joint review of the USMCA, the three governments held a virtual meeting.
01 Jul 2026 4 min read

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