International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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Trade Law and International Law

9 posts

What does Mexico's Impending Return to Single Party Government Mean for Attracting FDI?

While the election of Lopez-Obrador's anointed candidate, Claudia Sheinbaum, in the elections June 2 was no surprise in itself, her margin of more than 30 points over the principal opposition candidate Xochitl Galvez (and over 58% of the total vote) was a surprise to many observers. Similarly, few

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

The New U.S.-Taiwan Trade Agreement and Its Approval

This post is by Kathleen Claussen & Timothy Meyer. It is cross-posted on Lawfare. On June 1, the United States and Taiwan signed a new trade deal. The agreement, which spans eight chapters and 75 pages in the English version, creates obligations for both parties to enhance trade facilitation, adopt

Trade Agreement Transparency for the New Year

This is post one of two on trade agreements in the news over the last ten days. Many will know that the president signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act in the days before Christmas. Like several recent big legislative packages, this one contains some important trade-relevant provisions. I

Fit for Whose Purpose?: How Panelists Interpret Labor Rights in Trade, and What That Tells Us about the Trade/Labor Relationship

While many of us were celebrating the holidays with family, an important law review article dropped silently and inconspicuously into the fray. That article, Fit for Purpose: The Extent and Enforcement of International Trade Agreement Labor Obligations After Guatemala – Labor Obligations Decision, was written by Professor Kevin Banks, who served

The Obama Administration's Attack on Appellate Body Independence Shows The Need for Reforms

By Steve Charnovitz, George Washington University Law School The Obama Administration has not yet apologized for its unilateral action in May 2016 to unseat Appellate Body Member Seung Wha Chang, a distinguished jurist from South Korea. Although this hostile act by the United States has been roundly criticized by other

Attribution of the measures of an international organization to a member in the Russia - Tariff Treatment panel report

I was curious to know why the panel report in Russia - Tariff Treatment found violations by Russia because of duties that it was 'required' to apply. It turns out that the reason for this terminology is that the duty rates at issue were adopted, as a Common

SA-Israel dispute over West Bank products

The Guardian reports: A diplomatic row has been growing as Israel summoned the South African ambassador to explain his country's decision to label products from West Bank settlements as coming from the occupied Palestinian territories. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/23/israel-south-africa-west-bank-label This has been

European Respect for WTO Law

In the Wall Street Journal, Jack Goldsmith and Eric Posner ask, "Does Europe Believe in International Law?" Their answer: "Europe's commitment to international law is largely rhetorical. Like the Bush administration, Europeans obey international law when it advances their interests and discard it when it