International Economic Law and Policy Blog (Page 410)

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Alan Sykes on Enforcing WTO Obligations

From the abstract of a paper called "Optimal Sanctions in the WTO: The Case for Decoupling (and the Uneasy Case for the Status Quo)," posted on SSRN: Various commentators have suggested that the current system of trade sanctions for violation of WTO obligations be replaced with financial compensation.

WTO Disputes: It's All About China These Days

Here are the 11 most recent WTO consultations requests: Dispute Name DS Number Complainant(s) Respondent Request Date European Communities - Definitive Anti-Dumping Measures on Certain Iron or Steel Fasteners from China 397 China European Communities Jul 31, 2009 Philippines - Taxes on Distilled Spirits 396 European Communities Philippines Jul

Cash for Clunkers and MFN

Over at Opinio Juris, Roger Alford notes that the "Cash for Clunkers" program has seemed to favor non-U.S. car-makers such as Toyota and Honda over the U.S. car-makers (with the caveat that some Toyota and Honda cars are made, in part at least, in the U.

Charnovitz: USTR Refuses Public Disclosure of US-Russia Trade Agreement

One final Steve Charnovitz Eyes on Trade cross-post: by Steve Charnovitz This is a follow-up to my blog post of July 20, 2009 about my efforts to use the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to get the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to release the text of

Reading the Doha Tea Leaves

It seems that there is a great deal of synchronicity between the global economy and the Doha trade talks. Both of them were in their nadir last summer and now both of them seem to have found their green shoots. Of course, there may be a plethora of explanations why

Investor-State in FTAs

In the context of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, the Emergency Committee for American Trade makes the following point: The U.S.-Australia FTA did not include one vitally important component of a strong investment chapter, namely investor-state dispute settlement. ECAT very strongly urges that investor-state dispute settlement be included

In Praise of Trade Deficits

From the always provocative Don Boudreaux: Beyond contributing to American economic vitality, foreign investment here signals global confidence in that vitality. Investors go long only in assets or places that promise a reasonable prospect of future profits. These facts are why the recent decline in America's trade deficit

Mutual Assured Dumping

The AFP mentions the following interesting fact in relation to the WTO complaint by China against EU anti-dumping duties on fasteners (e.g., screws and bolts): In one of the biggest anti-dumping cases against China, the EU decided after an investigation to impose levies on imports of some Chinese fasteners,

Is there an Abuse of the Arguendo Technique in WTO Panel Reports?

I have just finished reading the panel report relating to CVDs imposed by Mexico on Olive Oil from the European Communities, and it strikes me that the arguendo technique has become pervasive in recent panel reports. What panels are really doing through this technique (certainly out of fear of the

WTO Litigation Costs and the Seal Products Case

I was recently talking to someone writing a paper about the costs of litigating WTO disputes, so I found the following quite interesting. Commenting on the Seal Products dispute, a lawyer who would probably know these things suggests the following in relation to that case: A WTO challenge would likely