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"the United States has never before confronted the question of extending unilateral trade preferences to a country that has rejected a reciprocal trade agreement"

Is the quote in the title to this post a threat to Costa Ricans voting tomorrow on approval of CAFTA?  It does sound a bit like one, with the suggestion that if CAFTA is not approved, unilateral trade preferences to Costa Rica might not be renewed.  Is such a threat
Simon Lester 06 Oct 2007 1 min read

How to Save the Doha Round

Susan Schwab, the US Trade Representative, called for clear “pledges” from major developed and developing countries to negotiate within the range of current draft texts (on agriculture and industrial goods) to deliver the Doha deal. (“How flexibility can salvage the Doha round,” Financial Times, Oct. 4) Schwab observed that the
Sungjoon Cho 04 Oct 2007 1 min read

TRIPS Agreement in the Domestic Law of EC Member States

This sounds like a big deal to me, but it has been a while since my one EC law course, so perhaps this ruling by the European Court of Justice is not as important as it seems: it is not contrary to Community law for Article 33 of the TRIPs
Simon Lester 04 Oct 2007 1 min read

Sealed with a Complaint

As Bryan mentioned here, Canada's complaint about Belgian and Dutch bans on seal products is now official.  The consultations request is here. It might be better for the system if the complaint did not go forward, but if it does there could be some very interesting issues explored.
Simon Lester 01 Oct 2007 1 min read

Call for Papers - Regional Trade Agreements

The Public Law Review, one of the student-edited journals at Saint Louis University Law School, is organizing a symposium in Spring 2008 on regional trade agreements and their social, political, and environmental  implications.  The title is:  The Changing Tide of Trade: Social, Political, and Environmental Implications of Regional Trade Agreements.
Simon Lester 01 Oct 2007 4 min read

To Seal or Not to Seal

Reports are that Canada has filed a complaint against the EU over the Dutch and Belgian bans on seal products (which currently or soon will outlaw the manufacture and commercialization of all products containing seal) and perhaps the Italian and Luxembourg regulations which refuse to grant import licenses to seal
Bryan Mercurio 29 Sep 2007 1 min read

More on Trade Measures and the Environment

Past blog discussions on trade measures designed to promote environmental protection have focused on proposals by Joseph Stiglitz and various EU officials (see here, here, here and here).  Now it seems that the U.S. is getting into the act. Retaliatory steps that comply with world trade rules could be
Simon Lester 25 Sep 2007 1 min read

The Gambling Case: Both Tracks Moving Forward

Both tracks of the Gambling case continue to move ahead, with the parties still trying to reach agreement (and not getting that close, it seems). With regard to the U.S. withdrawal of its Gambling services commitments, the Financial Times reports that the U.S. compensation proposal to the EU
Simon Lester 24 Sep 2007 2 min read

From Dubai Ports to Dubai Stocks

One of the earliest topics on this blog was the Dubai Ports controversy (see here, here and here).  Now another Dubai company's purchase of U.S. assets is in the news: "Nasdaq Stock Market Inc. struck a complex deal to sell a 20 percent stake to the
Simon Lester 20 Sep 2007 1 min read

Call for Submissions: Chinese (Taiwan) Yearbook of International Law and Affairs

Call for Submissions   The Chinese (Taiwan) Yearbook of International Law and Affairs commenced publication in 1981 under the auspices of the Chinese (Taiwan) Society of International Law. The Yearbook publishes on multi-disciplinary topics with a focus on international and comparative law issues regarding Taiwan, Mainland China and cross-strait relations. In
Henry Gao 20 Sep 2007 1 min read

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

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

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Jamieson Greer on the 30 Year Aberration in U.S. Trade Policy

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