Today's FT reports on the flaring of textiles as an issue, with the U.S. partially backing Turkey's position that textiles should be a separate sector, while the EU argues the opposite.  Much of the rest of this article (p. 2) is consumed with the debate

ILuke Peterson of IISD asks:   My question relates to the bilateral negotiations which occur as part of the WTO accession process. I was wondering if there is any precedent for governments to demand non-trade-related concessions of prospective members? For example, might the EU demand that Country X sign

Thank you, Tomer, for informing us about the Softwood Lumber award issued on June 6 under NAFTA Chapter 11. http://worldtradelaw.typepad.com/ielpblog/2006/06/the_sound_of_a_.html The (170+ pages!) NAFTA award offers an interesting contrast to the WTO Appellate Body's recent ruling in

The G8 has just finished another meeting, and reaffirmed its commitments to the Millennium Development Goals--or at least its commitment to encouraging others to meet their commitments.  This reminded me of a refreshing film that I almost saw once, "The Girl in the Cafe."  It is a

From the relative safety of the shadow cabinet, William Hague advocates a transatlantic free trade zone (see BBC report). For the sake of counterfactual argument, what might such an arrangement imply in terms of legal policy? A few basic suggestions for discussion: - The WTO dispute settlement system, which some see

The Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva, is looking for a "Professor/Associate Professor of International Economic Law."  Applications are due by 15 August 2006.  See their vacancy notice here.  It's hard to think of a better place to be for international economic law than Geneva.

Reportedly, the NAFTA Chapter 11 claims filed by Canadian softwood lumber exporters have been dismissed by the tribunal at a preliminary stage following jurisdictional arguments based on Article 1901(3) NAFTA which reads: "Except for Article 2203 (Entry into Force), no provision of any other Chapter of this Agreement

As the world's most exciting sports event begins, I was hoping to conjure up a link to IEL.  How about this.  National teams are limited to nationals.  The team administrators obviously discriminate in the national treatment sense against foreign players.  Would this violate a GATS commitment in the

Airbus has filed a motion to enjoin Wilmer Hale and Marco Bronckers from representing Boeing, in light of Bronckers' earlier work for Airbus.    Interestingly, the basis for Airbus' claim is the Washington DC Rules of Professional Conduct, which I suppose are being applied to the Wilmer Hale firm.