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Free Trade Unilateralism from Ron Paul

Ron Paul sets out his views on free trade in an interview with CFR: How would you approach globalization and trade differently from a McCain administration or the current Bush administration would? [Ron Paul:] I consider myself the strongest advocate of free trade. I don't want any tariffs
Simon Lester 04 Sep 2008 1 min read

WHO is the culprit of the DDA negotiation breakdown?

In the latest round of the finger-pointing game since the breakdown of the trade talks in Geneva, the WHO emerged as the winner. According to a recent report in BNA's International Trade Daily, the WHO's Commission on Social Determinants of Health blamed trade liberalization for reducing
Henry Gao 03 Sep 2008 1 min read

The Role of Precedent: What the WTO Members Think (Part 2)

A while back, I mentioned a discussion among the WTO Members, at a DSB meeting, on the role of precedent in WTO dispute settlement.  This discussion was in the context of the U.S. - Stainless Steel (Mexico) dispute, where the AB made some statements that seemed to indicate a
Simon Lester 01 Sep 2008 4 min read

GSP and Climate Change

In the latest issue of the JIEL, Michael McKenzie discusses the interaction of climate change and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).  He notes two ways that preferences could help fight climate change: The first way that preferential tariff treatment under a GSP scheme could be tied to the issue
Simon Lester 28 Aug 2008 1 min read

Gender Discrimination through Tariffs

I'm a bit late to this, but it's an interesting case and I thought I should start following it.  As an old NY Times article explains, there are often tariff differences in the U.S. tariff schedule between men's and women's versions
Simon Lester 28 Aug 2008 1 min read

GATT Era Arguments We Are Not Likely To See Today

From the EEC - Import Restrictions case, adopted in 1983: 12. In the view of the European Community, in order to judge the compatibility of these restrictions with the provisions of GATT, it was not enough to limit examination to a purely legal exercise. All restrictions with which the Panel
Simon Lester 27 Aug 2008 1 min read

Can WTO Membership Be Used as a Bargaining Chip?

Perhaps not very effectively, if the country says they don't want it: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia saw no advantages from WTO membership and should freeze some commitments made during entry talks to the trade body, Interfax news agency reported. "We propose continuing
Simon Lester 25 Aug 2008 1 min read

More Work for the WTO?

Just when the trade liberalization business was slowing down, Mattoo and Guasch propose some new fields of endeavor . . . . "Currency Undervaluation and Sovereign Wealth Funds: A New Role for the World Trade Organization" World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 4668 AADITYA MATTOO, World Bank - Development Research Group
Trachtman 25 Aug 2008 1 min read

Taxing Big Engine Cars

I'm sure many of you remember the U.S. - Auto Taxes GATT dispute.  There were several U.S. measures at issue, one of which was a "gas guzzler" tax.  Car manufacturers were required to pay taxes on their automobiles based on the fuel efficiency, with
Simon Lester 24 Aug 2008 2 min read

Carbon Labels

I love labeling as a solution to many trade-environment conflicts.  I think it can be done in a way that is consistent with trade rules, and can also have a positive impact on environmental problems.  So I was happy to read this piece in the Guardian: Japan is to carry
Simon Lester 22 Aug 2008 1 min read

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International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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Could Congress Extend the USMCA for Another Term?

People have been assuming that the decision on whether to extend the USMCA for another term is up to President Trump, but based on the language of the USMCA related to the upcoming joint review, could Congress actually have the power to make this decision on its own?
04 May 2026 4 min read

Is There No Going Back on Trade? What Is the Path Forward? A Response to Lighthizer

Former U.S. Trade Rep. Bob Lighthizer has a new essay in Foreign Affairs, and I have some thoughts. I'm going to start with his brief big picture points on the direction of U.S. trade policy, and then go through a couple of the specific concepts he emphasizes.
27 Apr 2026 6 min read

The Section 301 Excess Capacity Investigation Needs Less Madness, More Method

Shortly after the Supreme Court ruled President Trump’s emergency tariffs under IEEPA  unconstitutional, the administration scrambled to rebuild its tariff wall. While the announcement of Section 122 tariffs immediately following the ruling will provide a temporary patch, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office quickly began to utilize another
24 Apr 2026 6 min read

War Tariffs

This is a co-authored post by Kathleen Claussen and Tim Meyer. Last week, President Trump announced that the United States would be imposing new tariffs of 50 percent of the value of any product coming from any country that sells weapons or provides military aid to Iran. Some commentators questioned
14 Apr 2026 5 min read

USMCA Review and Extension Predictions

When the idea of an expiration clause was suggested during the NAFTA renegotiation, I was against it from the start, and Inu and I wrote a pretty critical piece about it at the time. A review is great, we said, let's definitely have reviews, and there are plenty of ways to do that.
08 Apr 2026 5 min read

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