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Obama and Harper Talk Trade

From their joint press conference: Q Thank you, to both of you. I've got a question for both of you. Mr. President, on Tuesday you said that now is not the time to reopen NAFTA. But your aides said that you would be trying to convince our friends
Simon Lester 19 Feb 2009 4 min read

Trade Implications of The Auto Bailout

Some experts weigh in: Claire Brunel and Gary Hufbauer of the Peterson Institute: Auto bailouts in the United States and elsewhere largely fall within the purview of the WTO definition of actionable subsidies. But fuel-efficiency and environmental standards complicate the issue, and bringing a case to the WTO based on
Simon Lester 19 Feb 2009 1 min read

"Buy Keynesian"

Todd Tucker at Eyes on Trade points to the following proposal, referred to as a "Buy Keynesian" policy, from John Schmitt at CEPR: The President could rewrite the current "Buy American" restriction to allow US recovery funds to be spent on US goods — as well as
Simon Lester 16 Feb 2009 2 min read

A Possible "Buy America" WTO Complaint

From Reuters: Brazil may challenge the legality of a "Buy American" clause in the recently approved U.S. economic stimulus package at the World Trade Organization, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said on Monday. "It's a complex legal analysis, but we're doing it,
Simon Lester 16 Feb 2009 1 min read

"Naming and Shaming" Protectionism

Gary Hufbauer proposes the following: Here’s one proposal, built on the force of “name and shame.” A visionary private foundation might convene a blue-ribbon bench of respected trade economists and lawyers, independent of any government or the WTO. The bench would be drawn from eminent persons around the world.
Simon Lester 15 Feb 2009 1 min read

The Final "Buy America" Provisions in the Stimulus Bill

The White House approves: Congressional negotiators have come up with the "right compromise" on 'Buy American' provisions of the economic stimulus bill that have raised concern among U.S. trade partners, a White House spokesman said on Thursday. "I think where we ended up with
Simon Lester 13 Feb 2009 2 min read

The US-EU Gambling Settlement

I've mentioned before (here and here) that journalist Ed Brayton has been trying to find out what is in the settlement reached by the U.S. and EU in relation to the Gambling case.  Brayton now has something to report, although it appears the full details will have
Simon Lester 13 Feb 2009 2 min read

Do We Need Subsidies Rules for Services?

The UK gives up on a WTO subsidies complaint because there are no rules for subsidies to services: "Last year the Government said that the UK via the European Union would take legal action against Canada if its support for its videogames industry violated WTO rules," said Richard
Simon Lester 11 Feb 2009 1 min read

Economic Nationalism

The Economist has a pretty dramatic cover piece this week.  The title is "The Return of Economic Nationalism," and the cover shows a hand clawing its way out of the ground in a graveyard full of names such as Smoot/Hawley.  In the piece, they argue: Economic nationalism—
Simon Lester 08 Feb 2009 2 min read

Free Book Chapter on the History of Investment Treaty Law

New from Andrew Newcombe, Law and Practice of Investment Treaties: Standards of Treatment, co-authored with Lluís Paradell.  The first chapter (a 73 page in-depth treatment of the historical development of investment treaty law) is available for free here: http://ita.law.uvic.ca/documents/NewcombeandParadellLawandPracticeofInvestmentTreaties-Chapter1.pdf
Simon Lester 07 Feb 2009 1 min read

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International Economic Law and Policy Blog

International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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Featured

Comparing the Enforcement Provisions in the New U.S. Trade Deals

Building on the comparison of trade agreement provisions in my last post, let's take a look at the "enforcement" provisions of the six agreements for which the legal texts have been published.
11 Feb 2026 3 min read

Comparing the Economic and National Security Provisions in the New U.S. Trade Deals

By my count, we now have the legal texts of five Trump administration trade agreements. Will there be enforcement actions under these agreements?
09 Feb 2026 4 min read

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

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