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The Trump and Biden Administrations' Proposals on the WTO Security Exceptions

In a communication posted on the WTO website yesterday, entitled "Further Perspectives on WTO Reform," the U.S. calls for an authoritative interpretation of the WTO security exceptions to make clear that "[i]n any dispute in which a Member invokes the essential security exception, a WTO
Simon Lester 24 Mar 2026 3 min read

NAFTA and Mortality

There's a recent economics working paper called "Trading Goods For Lives: NAFTA’s Mortality Impacts And Implications" that is getting some attention. The NY Times did a piece on it under the headline "‘A Lot of Life Years Lost’: How NAFTA Shortened American Life Spans.
Simon Lester 23 Mar 2026 3 min read

NCITD International Trade Scholarship Program

This is from the National Council on International Trade Development (NCITD): The National Council on International Trade Development (NCITD) is proud to continue its longstanding scholarship program supporting students pursuing careers in international trade. Each year, NCITD awards scholarships to outstanding undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at accredited U.S.
Simon Lester 20 Mar 2026 1 min read

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

My series of posts comparing specific provisions across the Trump administration's Agreements on Reciprocal Trade got interrupted, but let me get back to it now, with a focus on certain digital trade provisions in the nine agreements for which we now have the full legal text.
Simon Lester 18 Mar 2026 6 min read

My Top Three Suggestions for WTO Complaints against Chinese Non-Market Policies and Practices

In an exchange today at a House Ways and Means Committee Trade Subcommittee hearing, Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX) and trade lawyer Kelly Ann Shaw expressed skepticism about the possibility of WTO rules being used to address various Chinese non-market policies and practices.
Simon Lester 17 Mar 2026 3 min read

The Section 301 Surge Continues: Investigating the Adoption/Enforcement/Administration of Forced Labor Import Bans

This Section 301 investigation intends to pressure all sixty named trade partners (even, inexplicably, including Canada and Mexico) to adopt similar enforcement procedures. This announcement is highly problematic for the four reasons I address below.
Desiree LeClercq 16 Mar 2026 4 min read

The Section 301 Surge Is Upon Us: Investigating Excess Capacity and Production

The first of a large batch of expected Section 301 investigations has arrived, as USTR announced yesterday that it was initiating investigations on acts, policies, and practices of various countries/economies "relating to structural excess capacity and production in manufacturing sectors."
Simon Lester 12 Mar 2026 3 min read

The Divide Between the U.S. and Others on Trade Dispute Settlement

In a recent piece on USMCA dispute settlement, former U.S. Ambassador to the WTO Maria Pagan talks about a "divide between the United States and many others over state-to-state dispute settlement mechanisms," as follows: On the one hand, you have those who view state-to-
Simon Lester 09 Mar 2026 3 min read

Debunking the "Hyperglobalization" Trade Policy Myth

Policy is often shaped by narratives, and recently there has been a bipartisan effort to create a narrative that, starting in the early 1990s, globalization and free trade went too far.
Simon Lester 03 Mar 2026 8 min read

Jamieson Greer on the Non-Violation Remedy

In a speech at UVA law school earlier this week, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer offered the following description of the GATT non-violation remedy: The non-violation remedy in the GATT (Article 23:1(b)) makes this point clear.  It allows member countries to seek a remedy even
Simon Lester 26 Feb 2026 3 min read

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Governments Make Their Case Against Section 301 Forced Labor Tariffs

Last month, USTR made a determination in its Section 301 investigation into "Acts, Policies, and Practices of Various Economies Related to the Failure To Impose and Effectively Enforce a Prohibition on the Importation of Goods Produced With Forced Labor."
10 Jul 2026 5 min read

How Should the EU Get Tough with China? Unilateral Action vs. WTO Complaints

I've seen several recent calls for the EU to get tougher in its economic relations with China, along with arguments that it has been too slow to act against the Chinese economic threat.
06 Jul 2026 4 min read

Trump Administration Decides Not To Extend USMCA for Another Term: What Does That Mean Exactly?

Today, as part of the first joint review of the USMCA, the three governments held a virtual meeting.
01 Jul 2026 4 min read

Competing Views of Sovereignty: The Haves vs. The Have Nots in AI (and Steel)

It's interesting to watch how political leaders craft narratives around economic competition that reflect their own country's strengths and weaknesses.
29 Jun 2026 4 min read

A law of many meanings: Exchange Actions under the GATT and IMF

Earlier this week, Simon Lester posted about the EU’s concerns with the undervaluation of the Chinese currency. He situated the recent demands for trade restrictions against a longstanding debate about the function of GATT Article XV:4.
25 Jun 2026 8 min read

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