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The Politicization of the Appellate Body Nomination Process

With two Appellate Body appointments coming soon, this paper -- entitled "Agents, Trustees, and International Courts: The Politics of Judicial Appointment at the World Trade Organization" -- by Manfred Elsig and Mark Pollack is very well-timed.  From the intro: We present a view of an AB selection process that,
Simon Lester 12 Jun 2011 1 min read

Is Chinese Investment in Africa Neo-Colonialism?

From an interview with Hillary Clinton on an African TV show, here was a question asked by the host: MR. MAROLENG: Madam Secretary, one of the things around the African Growth and Opportunity Act is that it’s also based on the notion that conditionality around good governance will lead
Simon Lester 12 Jun 2011 5 min read

TRIPS and Australia's Draft Law on Plain Packaging of Cigarettes

From yesterday's TRIPS Council meeting: ... the Dominican Republic objected to a draft Australian law requiring cigarettes to be sold in plain packaging without logos or trademarks. The brands would be identified simply in a standard typeface with large graphic health warnings. Australia originally notified the draft and the
Simon Lester 08 Jun 2011 2 min read

Is Investment Treaty Arbitration Biased Against Developing Countries?

In a short paper, Kevin Gallagher and Elen Shrestha discuss the issue of whether investment treaty arbitration is biased against developing countries.  They first note the argument of those who say there is no bias: Defenders claim that the system does not unfairly subject developing countries to arbitral panels.  When
Simon Lester 08 Jun 2011 3 min read

Is the TPP a Model for Future Trade Agreements?

Claude Barfield wonders whether the Trans-Pacific Partnership is "a model for twenty-first-century trade agreements."  In this regard, he notes that: At the first meeting in Melbourne in March 2010, the negotiators established ten negotiating groups, including industrial goods, agriculture, sanitary and phytosanitary standards, telecommunications, financial
Simon Lester 05 Jun 2011 3 min read

Zeroing at the Supreme Court?

Following-up on this post, here's the question presented to the U.S. Supreme Court in a cert. petition filed by steel company Nucor last week: Whether the Tariff Act of 1930—which defines “dumping” as “the sale or likely sale of goods at less than fair value”
Simon Lester 30 May 2011 8 min read

A WTO Moot Court Dynasty?

Melbourne Law School has won again: Melbourne Law School has won the prestigious 2011 European Law Students’ Association Moot Court Competition on the law of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva. Melbourne’s team comprised law students Philip Aitken (Juris Doctor), Glyn Ayres (Juris Doctor), Daniel Ari Baker (Bachelor
Simon Lester 30 May 2011 1 min read

Intent, Export Contingency, and National Treatment

Do the Appellate Body's statements in EC - Aircraft on de facto export contingency tell us anything about the National Treatment standard?  The Panel's findings had seemed to place a lot of emphasis on the reasons for the measure as the basis for determining whether export contingency
Simon Lester 26 May 2011 3 min read

John Magnus on the Appellate Body's Double Remedies Ruling

He doesn't like it.  Here's one part of why: The following is a fair summary of the AB decision. Domestic subsidies when used to reduce export price will, unless they also produce a lower normal value calculation, increase the recipient’s dumping margin and be offset
Simon Lester 22 May 2011 2 min read

Extinguishment of Subsidies: Three Members, Three Opinions

In case there was any doubt that the issue of whether subsidies can be "extinguished" through privatizations or other sales of a company, the three members of the Appellate Body Division in EC - Aircraft set out three separate opinions on the issue: 726. Although the Members of this
Simon Lester 19 May 2011 4 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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