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Mini-Deals: A First Look at the World of Trade Executive Agreements

With the deadlines now having passed for moving the UK and Kenya agreements through the 2015 Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) process, there has been some talk about pursuing instead more “skinny” or “mini”-deals especially given that the prospects of renewing TPA remain in doubt.  Even apart from TPA, additional
Kathleen Claussen 03 May 2021 4 min read

Talking Trade Policy on Clubhouse and Twitter

You may have heard about the "drop in audio" craze going on right now. The Clubhouse app was the first, and Twitter got in on the action with Spaces. The basic idea is that it's sort of like a call-in radio show, with a couple hosts
Simon Lester 03 May 2021 1 min read

Call for abstracts: PluriCourts Research Conference on Compliance Mechanisms

This is from PluriCourts: PluriCourts issues this call for abstracts on the topic of “International Courts versus Compliance Mechanisms: Comparative advantages of non-compliance mechanisms and complaint procedures.” In this project, we ask: Contributions will be published in an edited volume by Cambridge University Press (tbc) or a special edition of
Simon Lester 03 May 2021 1 min read

The WTO Appellate Body: Why The Biden Administration Should Allow Appointments to be Reopened

Yesterday, the journal Global Policy published an essay of mine on the case for rebooting the WTO Appellate Body.  In the article, I propose a range of options for deciding what kind of judges the WTO needs going forward, and addressing some of the more justified criticisms of prior judges,
Rob Howse 29 Apr 2021 4 min read

Alan Wolff on the Appellate Body Crisis

The always insightful Alan Wolff was talking about The Future of the WTO at the Peterson Institute today. The whole thing is worth a listen, but I wanted to highlight his response to my question on the Appellate Body crisis during the Q & A: Adam Posen: Simon Lester asks,
Simon Lester 29 Apr 2021 1 min read

Katherine Tai's Responses on Phase One, Section 301, and Lumber/Steel/Solar Panel Tariffs

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai testified today at a Senate hearing on "Funding Priorities of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative." In this context, she answered some substantive trade policy questions. Here are a few of her responses: China Phase One Enforcement Senator Moran: Ambassador,
Simon Lester 28 Apr 2021 10 min read

The AfCFTA Secretariat Is Hiring

Over the last four years, U.S. trade policy has kept me so busy that I've missed some important developments around the world, such as the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area. I see from my friend Petina Gappah that the AfCFTA Secretariat is now hiring:
Simon Lester 28 Apr 2021 1 min read

Webinar on Institutionalising Global Challenges: A Transatlantic Trade and Technology Council

From City Law School in London (Thursday, 29 April 2021, 17:00 – 18:30, register here): The EU’s proposed EU-US Joint Agenda for Global Change includes a Transatlantic Trade and Technology Council, proposing a loose institutionalisation of key global challenges currently not well covered or dealt with by, for
Simon Lester 28 Apr 2021 1 min read

Remembering Miguel Rodríguez Mendoza

We are sad to report that Miguel Rodríguez Mendoza has passed away. Jorge Castro of the WTO prepared the following note of remembrance: Miguel Rodríguez Mendoza (Cumaná, Venezuela, 28 March 1948 – Geneva, Switzerland, 25 April 2021) Miguel Rodríguez had a distinguished career in international trade. He was Venezuela's
Simon Lester 26 Apr 2021 1 min read

Where Will Biden's USTR Trade Policy Team Take U.S. Trade Policy?

Over the past few days, we have had some new announcements about staffing at USTR, and the Biden administration trade policy team is almost complete now. There are still the important Deputy USTR in Geneva and Chief Agriculture Negotiator positions to fill (as well as some other USTR and possibly
Simon Lester 21 Apr 2021 5 min read

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International Economic Law and Policy Blog

International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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Featured

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

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.
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."
12 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.
03 Mar 2026 8 min read

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