International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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Sovereignty

9 posts

International law aspects of the U.S.-Australia critical mineral and rare earth deal

Upon reading the US-AUS framework concerning the financing of rare earth mining. While there is very little to go on, I wanted to share some thoughts that connect current assessments with what we know about international investment law and existing institutional development. The Framework commits $1 billion in financing projects

Risky Futures: Indonesia's Nickel and EV Production

Can governments future-proof their economic power in a green(er) global economy? This question seems to lie at the heart of many governments’ trade policies. It is not a new question per se. In 1974, many resource-rich countries resolved that it was time to create a new international economic order

The U.S. “Worker-Centered Trade Policy” is helping some workers in Mexico but not in America

This Labor Day post seeks to shed light on the Biden administration’s “worker-centered” trade policy. It argues that the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) misses a critical opportunity to strengthen workers’ rights in America. The agreement’s provisions exclude protections for the most vulnerable workers in U.S. trade

Katherine Tai on Policy Space and Sovereignty

This is something U.S. Trade Rep. Katherine Tai said at a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace event last week: There often is a tension between how international trade rules interact with our own domestic policies and regulations. International trade rules tend to discipline what countries can do and there&

Of Carrots and Sticks:Why Economics Sanctions Relief is the Only Way Forward With Iran-the Threat of Force is Delusional

Recently on this blog, Ruti Teitel and I suggested some ideas for persuading Iran's leaders that economic sanctions relief in return for restored nuclear curbs can be of durable economic benefit for the country-even on the nightmare scenario of a future Administration breaking America's word and

The Doha Problem

The WTO has just published the request by Qatar for consultations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia concerning their trade restrictions. I quickly skimmed through the requests and found a few interesting points: 1. This is the second time a WTO Member has made consultation requests simultaneously

An "American Union"

Jim Hoagland of the Washington Post has this suggestion for Barack Obama: Here's one example of new thinking he should pursue: The United States should apply to relations with hemispheric neighbors many of the lessons of the European Union and its half-century of economic and political integration. A

"Why not a North American Union?"

Will Wilkinson of the Cato Institute asks this question and argues: There are some who believe a grave threat to American sovereignty looms over the horizon. A shadowy cabal, they say, is planning a massive "NAFTA superhighway," a new North American currency, and a common market in goods

Phyllis Schlafly on the Gambling Ruling and the WTO

Yes, that's right, I said Phyllis Schlafly. She has read a bit and even quotes from the Gambling decision and also Article XVI:4 of the WTO Agreement. Her main point seems to be that it's outrageous for the WTO to have authorized Antigua to "