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Obama's State of the Union Speech: Free Trade and Competition

Here's the speech.  I saw a tension between two parts of it. First, Obama makes the point that it's a competitive world out there: Many people watching tonight can probably remember a time when finding a good job meant showing up at a nearby factory or
Simon Lester 26 Jan 2011 3 min read

U.S. NAFTA Secretariat Job

There's an opening for the head of the U.S. NAFTA Secretariat: Are you interested in assisting U.S. businesses compete globally? The International Trade Administration is the largest federal agency helping U.S. firms to succeed in the world economy.  You can help us create opportunities for
Simon Lester 26 Jan 2011 1 min read

Are We Living Under a "Pro-Corporate Global Governance System"?

Todd Tucker refers to the current trade regime as a "pro-corporate global governance system."  Is that a fair characterization?  Aren't just as many corporations opposed to the system as are for it?  There are winners and losers from every policy -- some corporations are hurt and
Simon Lester 26 Jan 2011 1 min read

Intra-National Free Trade: Super Bowl Edition

This story has a similar feel to the concerns about producing the U.S. flag abroad: A Wisconsin towel maker is smack-dab in the middle of the Green Bay Packer-Pittsburgh Steeler Super Bowl matchup. McArthur Towel and Sports, a WinCraft company, has been producing officially licensed sports towels
Simon Lester 26 Jan 2011 1 min read

Legal Protectionism: Tariffs vs. Other Measures

Todd Tucker of Global Trade Watch recently complained that the WTO Government Procurement Agreement restricts the ability of the U.S. government to favor domestic solar panel producers through its Buy America procurement policies: ... dig a bit deeper into the NYT story to understand what the phrase "subject to
Simon Lester 25 Jan 2011 3 min read

Korea FTA Hearing Going on Now

The House Ways and Means Committee is holding a hearing on the Korea FTA.  Todd Tucker is live blogging it here.  You can view the live stream here.
Simon Lester 25 Jan 2011 1 min read

Balancing Trade and the Environment

From a European Commission press release: On Monday 24 January, the Korean Ministry of Environment made a public announcement of a number of adjustments that will be introduced in a new regulation on car CO2 emissions and fuel efficiency. These follow consultations launched by the Korean Government on a draft
Simon Lester 25 Jan 2011 1 min read

Applicability of the NAFTA "Prudential Carveout" to Capital Controls

I wonder if readers would agree with the following preliminary analysis of whether the NAFTA "prudential carveout" applies to except capital controls from the provisions regarding free transfer of investments. Capital controls for limited purposes are becoming more popular among economists, including those at the IMF. First, using
Trachtman 20 Jan 2011 2 min read

What John Bolton Doesn't Know about International Law

. . . could fill an international law library.  See his statement against "pooling sovereignty" in the Washington Examiner (is that a newspaper?).  This seems to be a general position against all international law, including presumably trade, investment, IP, etc.  To add insult to ignorance, he refers to President Obama as
Trachtman 20 Jan 2011 1 min read

The Role of Intent in WTO Non-Discrimination Obligations

I thought this was a good question from the panel in the U.S. - Tuna Labeling (DS381) dispute: 111. To the United States: Please clarify the relevance of your arguments relating to the justification of the measure in terms of dolphin protection, such as the arguments related to the effects
Simon Lester 19 Jan 2011 5 min read

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Featured

Does The EU Need Its Own Section 301 To Counter China's Distortions?

Recently, economists Sander Tordoir and Brad Setser suggested that the EU may need its own version of Section 301 in order to "confront China’s systemic distortions beyond piecemeal trade defence."
17 Jun 2026 7 min read

The Section 301 Forced Labor Import Ban Report

On June 2, 2026, USTR released its report on 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.
04 Jun 2026 11 min read

What To Expect from the USMCA Review?

The USMCA review is almost upon us. How exactly things will proceed is a bit unclear, as we've never done this sort of thing before, but July 1 is the six year anniversary of the USMCA's entry into force.
03 Jun 2026 15 min read

China in the World Trading System: A Response to Chad, and Some Comments on Froman-Greer

I'm going to use this post to (1) respond to Chad and (2) comment on an exchange between current U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer and former U.S. Trade Rep. Mike Froman at a recent CFR event.
01 Jun 2026 7 min read

My Response To Simon on China in the World Trading System

Here are two quick reactions to the super important question of what explains why countries did not use WTO dispute settlement to push China to change.
28 May 2026 2 min read

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