Is Brazil's Pix Payment System an Unfair Trade Practice?
One of the issues in the Section 301 investigation of Brazil's trade practices relates to Pix, an instant payment platform created and managed by the Central Bank of Brazil.
Topic
Sovereignty
12 posts
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.
Is There No Going Back on Trade? What Is the Path Forward? A Response to Lighthizer
Former U.S. Trade Rep. Bob Lighthizer has a new essay in Foreign Affairs, and I have some thoughts. I'm going to start with his brief big picture points on the direction of U.S. trade policy, and then go through a couple of the specific concepts he emphasizes.
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
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
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
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
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.