Digital Commons Network^™

Is There Force In Force Majeure After Covid-19 Or In The Freedom To Negotiate Risk?, Sara Lazarevic

University of Miami Inter-American Law Review

This note explores the impact COVID–19 has had on contracting parties who have attempted to implicate force majeure provisions. An inquiry of recent cases reveals varying degrees of success and tension when parties turn towards force majeure text. This Note analyzes common law alternatives, discusses the implication of force majeure clauses as applied under Mexican and American law, highlights the implications that have played out in recent court decisions, and discusses post–pandemic implications that could affect how parties conduct cross–border transactions in the future.

Withdrawing From Nafta, Alison Peck

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Since the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw from NAFTA. Can he? The question is complex. For one thing, NAFTA is not a treaty negotiated under the Treaty Clause of the Constitution, but rather a congressional–executive agreement, a creature of dubious con- stitutionality and ill-defined withdrawal and termination parameters. This Article reviews the scope of those restrictions and concludes that unilateral presidential withdrawal from NAFTA, although not without support, is ultimately unlawful. On one hand, unilateral presidential withdrawal would be valid as a matter of international law, and the NAFTA Implementation Act appears to be designed to terminate …

World Trade, Imperial Fantasies And Protectionism: Can You Really Have Your Cake And Eat It Too?, Csongor I. Nagy

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

Populism is telling voters what they want to hear, knowing that it is neither true, nor feasible. Lately, trade and economic integration has seen the spread of untrue and unfeasible tenets, which have proved to be highly popular and have received a warm welcome. Fueled by imperial fantasies and nostalgia for the long-gone era of protectionism, the tectonic movements of world trade have generated a good deal of populist resistance based on the self-delusion that the Gordian knot of world trade needs not to be disentangled but can be simply cut. Unfortunately, however popular and appealing these allegations are, they …

Trump, Trade, And Trabajo: Renegotiating Nafta's Labor Accord In A Fraught Political Climate, Lance A. Compa

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

Quitting the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and demanding renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)- along with its supplemental labor pact, the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC)-were among the first actions of the new U.S. Administration in 2017. NAFTA renegotiations concluded for the time being-in October 2018 with announcement of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to replace NAFTA.

Controversial proposals on the bargaining table contained important implications for employment, labor rights, and labor standards in North America. This paper reviews the status of negotiations, the risks of losing the first-ever international instrument linking trade and labor standards …

Restoring Trade’S Social Contract, Timothy Meyer, Frank J. Garcia

Michigan Law Review Online

As we write this, U.S. trade policy is falling into deeper and deeper disarray. The United States, Canada, and Mexico are holding frenzied meetings to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). As recently as October 11, 2017, President Donald Trump warned that he will withdraw the United States from NAFTA if he does not get a deal that is “fair” to American workers. Indeed, the Trump Administration has already pulled the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), threatened to withdraw from the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS), and is holding the World Trade Organization (WTO)’s …

Globalization And The Border: Trade, Labor, Migration, And Agricultural Production In Mexico, Chantal Thomas

Chantal Thomas

The debate over immigration policy in the United States has reached a crescendo in recent years, with particular concern over illegal workers and their impact on social well-being in this country. Yet in the prevailing analysis of this issue, the relationship between immigration and contemporary international trade policy is often overlooked. In particular, few commentators recognize or understand that a significant part of the surge in illegal labor from Mexico--the source of the majority of undocumented workers in the United States—stems from reforms that Mexico undertook in cooperation with the United States to liberalize trade flows across the Mexico-United States …

New Weaknesses: Despite A Major Win, Arbitration Decisions In 2014 Increase The Us’S Future Exposure To Litigation And Liability, Lise Johnson

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment Staff Publications

In 2014, the US continued its overall record of success in defending investment treaty claims. But it did suffer losses on a number of important issues, and those losses will render the US (and its treaty parties) vulnerable to future claims, litigation expense, and liability. The US’s recent losses, which have thus far been largely ignored in commentary on the US’s experiences in investment arbitration, are highlighted in this briefing note.

The Role Of United States Trade Laws In Resolving The Florida-Mexico Tomato Conflict, Stephen J. Powell, Mark A. Barnett

Stephen Joseph Powell

For discussion purposes, we have been asked to assume that the agreement entered into in October 1996 between the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) and Mexican tomato exporters, which resulted in suspension of an antidumping investigation of tomatoes from Mexico, has ended. The new owner of many of Florida's winter vegetable producers, concerned with the continuing rise in market share represented by Mexican imports, is considering further action under the trade remedy and other laws. This article will discuss the potential role of the antidumping and countervailing duty laws in these deliberations, as well as the operation of the dispute …

The North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta): Good For Jobs, For The Environment, And For America, Thomas J. Schoenbaum

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Expansion Of Nafta: Issues And Obstacles Regarding Accession By Latin American States And Associations, Brandy A. Bayer

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

The "Giant Sucking Sound" Revisited: A Blueprint To Prevent Pollution Havens By Extending Nafta's Unheralded "Eco-Dumping" Provisions To The New World Trade Organization, Joel L. Silverman

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Status Of Bulk Water Exports Under Nafta, Binda Preet Sahni

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

Prospects For Satisfactory Dispute Resolution Of Private Commercial Disputes Under The North American Free Trade Agreement, Jonathan I. Miller

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

Nafta Chapter 19 Binational Panel Reviews - Still A Zero Sum Game: The Wire Rod Decision And Its Progeny, Edward Tracy

American University International Law Review

No abstract provided.

The North American Free Trade Agreemetn: Looking At The Binational Panel System Through The Lens Of Free Enterpresie Fund, John J. Garman, Matthew K. Bell

Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business

This paper examines the constitutionality of the binational panels of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) under the United States Constitution. Part I provides an overview of the binational panel process. Part II outlines the process for challenging the constitutionality of binational panels and the obstacles that must be overcome. Part III discusses possible violations of the Due Process Clause. Part IV analyzes the constitutionality of binational panels under Article II of the United States Constitution. Part V examines the constitutional implications of Article III with respect to the absence of judicial review. Part VI is a case-by-case analysis …

Globalization And The Border: Trade, Labor, Migration, And Agricultural Production In Mexico, Chantal Thomas

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

The debate over immigration policy in the United States has reached a crescendo in recent years, with particular concern over illegal workers and their impact on social well-being in this country. Yet in the prevailing analysis of this issue, the relationship between immigration and contemporary international trade policy is often overlooked. In particular, few commentators recognize or understand that a significant part of the surge in illegal labor from Mexico--the source of the majority of undocumented workers in the United States—stems from reforms that Mexico undertook in cooperation with the United States to liberalize trade flows across the Mexico-United States …

Obama's First Trade War: The Us-Mexico Cross-Border Trucking Dispute And The Implications Of Strategic Cross-Sector Retaliation On U.S. Compliance Under Nafta, Bryan J. Soukup

Law Student Publications

Mexico's recent decision to employ strategic cross-sector retaliation against the US in response to the US suspension of the 2007 Cross-Border Trucking Development pilot program is a significant development in NAFTA relations. Never before has a NAFTA member imposed sanctions in this way to pressure a fellow member to comply with its NAFTA obligations. To date, this remedy has been utilized only in two WTO cases. In both these asymmetric disputes, the larger stat either withdrew the offending trade measure or modified its commitments to avoid the political fallout of targeted sanctions back home in unrelated industry sectors. The WTO's …

A Fundamental Misunderstanding: Fcc Implementation Of U.S. Wto Commitments, Laura B. Sherman

Federal Communications Law Journal

In bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, the United States has agreed to open the market for telecommunications services to foreign service suppliers, an obligation implemented by the FCC since 1998. In contrast, the United States has made no commitments with respect to broadcasting services or broadcast licenses. This article clarifies the different treatment of telecommunications services and broadcast services in U.S. trade obligations and FCC orders.

Don't Cross The Streams: Past And Present Overstatement Of Customary International Law In Connection With Conventional Fair And Equitable Treatment Obligations, Theodore Kill

Michigan Law Review

The obligation to provide fair and equitable treatment to foreign investors and investments has existed as a concept of international economic law at least since the 1919 Covenant of the League of Nations. The fair and equitable treatment provision is a key protection contained in the vast majority of modern bilateral investment treaties. Tribunals adjudicating alleged breaches of these fair and equitable treatment provisions have not arrived at a uniform interpretation of the term. As a threshold issue, however each tribunal must address the question of whether a state's obligations under a given treaty's fair and equitable treatment provision will …

Corporate Restrictions In Mexico And The United States, Dennis Rios

LLM Theses and Essays

Mexico and the United States have had throughout their history very different experiences in their international relations and thus different approaches towards foreign investment. Both Mexican and American corporations looking to invest in each others countries have to face several restrictions in their attempt to conduct business. These restrictions are constantly changing as the needs and circumstances in each country change. The United States throughout most of its history has had for the most part, a very open policy towards foreign investment. Mexico has been throughout most of its history, on the other side, adopting very restrictive measures towards foreign …

Balancing Regulations And Incentives For Foreign Direct Investment: A Case Study Of Mexico And Kazakhstan, Dauren B. Tynybekov

LLM Theses and Essays

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has a global character. As globalization grows, foreign direct investment grows. This research analyses the relationship between foreign direct investment and developing countries. The main contributors to foreign direct investment are multinational corporations and this research will show the impact of this kind of investment on the economy of developing countries. The research will show the way the developing countries try to benefit from FDI in order to complement their economic growth. This thesis will analyze the incentives and regulations the developing countries use to attract FDI and what needs to be done to make this …

An Evaluation Of Current Legitimacy-Based Objections To Nafta's Chapter 11 Investment Dispute Resolution Process, Naveen Gurudevan

San Diego International Law Journal

The year 1994 saw the conclusion of a very important trilateral trade and investment treaty in North America: the North American Free Trade Agreement. Since then, this agreement has had a tremendous impact on the trading relations among the three signatory states-the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Of particular significance is Chapter 11, the Investment Chapter. One of the main objectives of Chapter 11 is to provide an effective means for the resolution of disputes between a foreign investor and the host government. To this end, it provides a mechanism whereby private parties can initiate arbitration proceedings against the host …

The Next Privatization Of Public Assets: Domestic And Trade Implication Related To Water Right And Land Acquisition, Jennifer C. Gerbasi

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Meaning, Ambiguity And Legitimacy: Judicial (Re-)Construction Of Nafta Chapter 11, Ari Afilalo

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) benignly named the "Investment Chapter," is a theater for some of the most advanced issues of 21st century international law and adjudication. The Chapter gives private parties the right to challenge national policies that burden their ability to do business freely. It empowers arbitral tribunals to assess damages against the governments of NAFTA parties. The adjudicators, as this Article illustrates, render opinions with a constitutional flavor in that they assess the validity of domestic norms against larger principles of international economic law. In a drastic move away from classical century …

Free Movement Of Goods: A Comparative Analysis Of The European Community Treaty And The North American Free Trade Agreement, Pedro A. Perichart

LLM Theses and Essays

The European Union is currently an economic union, which means that it has almost removed every internal barrier to trade, therefore achieving the free circulation of all factors of production (goods, services, capital, and persons) across the union. The North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) establishes a free trade area, with the main purpose of eliminating tariffs among its members, and to some extent, reducing other non-tariff barriers to facilitate the cross-border movement of goods. Despite their difference, both regions seek to achieve a certain degree of free movement when trading goods within their respective e internal markets. This study …

Structure, Legitimacy, And Nafta's Investment Chapter, Charles H. Brower, Ii

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

In this Article, Professor Brower examines the investment chapter of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). He argues that the relevant treaty provisions lack a substantial measure of textual clarity. In addition, he argues that ad hoc tribunals based on the commercial arbitration model have generated incoherent doctrine and are relatively less accountable, transparent, and accessible than permanent tribunals. Furthermore, he argues that the NAFTA Parties and their courts so far appear to place a higher priority on the pursuit of narrow self-interest than on the principled administration of international governance. Collectively, these circumstances help to explain the frequency …

Taking Stock Of Nafta Chapter 11 In Its Tenth Year, Jack J. Coe, Jr.

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into force on January 1, 1994. Its Eleventh Chapter establishes substantive guarantees and an arbitral mechanism by which qualifying investors may seek damages for breach of those guarantees. The much-discussed investor-state arbitration apparatus was first invoked in September 1996, and since then has been resorted to several times against each NAFTA state. Many cases have concluded, while others are nearing completion. Though a mature jurisprudence has by no means emerged, substantive trends have been established and several of Chapter l's distinctive features, strengths, and weaknesses have been illuminated.

NAFTA's investor-state docket has …

The Changing Labor Markets Of The Western Hemisphere: Labor Issues Relating To The Ftaa, Ann C. Hodges

Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business

No abstract provided.

Does Free Trade Cause Hunger? Hidden Implications Of The Ftaa, Jonathan B. Wight

Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business

This division of labour, from which so many advantages are derived, is not originally the effects of any human wisdom, which forsees and intends that general opulence to which it gives occasion. It is the necessary, though very slow and gradual consequence of a certain propensity in human nature which has in view no such extensive utility; the propensity to truck, barter, and exchange one thing for another.

Workers’ Rights: A Winding Road In The Trucking Dispute Between The United States And Mexico, Michael S. Plotkin

Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business

No abstract provided.