International Trade Law Commons^™

A Bridge Too Far: The Fall Of The Fifth Wto Ministerial Conference In Cancún And The Future Of Trade Constitution, Sungjoon Cho

All Faculty Scholarship

This article is intended to contribute to the process of diagnosis and prescription in response to the fiasco of the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference in Cancún, Mexico, in September 2003. The article sketches previous WTO Ministerial Conferences in an attempt to glimpse the root of the problems that eventually caused the collapse of the Cancún Conference. It then focuses on the main developments in Cancún and offers a 'post-mortem', not in an attempt to place blame but to better understand what went wrong. It observes that North-South tension is likely to continue for the time being while rich countries, especially …

The Nature Of Remedies In International Trade Law, Sungjoon Cho

All Faculty Scholarship

Overemphasizing the sanctions aspect of the WTO law, which is partly attributable to an effort to placate the U.S. Congress into the ratification of the Uruguay Round, tends to create a misguided, distorted image of the WTO, one close to a super body reigning and commandeering over its member countries, rather than one akin to a legal community. This paper questions the conventional belief regarding the efficacy of the WTO sanctions in light of remedies and attempts to reconceptualize the true nature of WTO remedies. Part I examines how the concept of remedies has evolved through the history of the …

The Wto’S Gemeinschaft, Sungjoon Cho

All Faculty Scholarship

This Article focuses on the current development-related problems in the global trading system. A widening income gap and widespread poverty among trading nations denote the WTO’s Gesellschaftian nature—interest and power—resulting in structural distortion and manipulation. This Article maintains that the global trading system can achieve its development agenda and become fair and legitimate only through a critical paradigmatic transformation enabled by the configuration of the “WTO’s Gemeinschaft.” This Article observes that a fundamental legal precept, the “Law of Nations” (jus gentium), plays a critical role in actualizing this communitarian telos. Part II redefines the global trading system through the theoretical …

Beggar-Thy-Neighbor? Why The Wto Appellate Body’S Enforcement Of A Rigorous “Parallelism Requirement” Limits The Exemption Of Regional Trade Agreement Partners From The Application Of Safeguard Measures, Jordan Taylor

ExpressO

The recent WTO Appellate Body decision in U.S. – Steel Safeguards provided a new wrinkle in the AB’s treatment of Regional Trade Agreement members who seek to exempt each other from the application of safeguard measures. Previously, the AB had supported a rigorous “parallelism requirement” compelling Members to equate the scope of the countries investigated with the scope of the countries upon which the safeguard measures would be applied before it would consider whether Article XXIV provided an affirmative defense permitting the exclusion of RTA partners from the application of such measures. Where there was an impermissible “gap” as between …

Arthritic Flexibilities: Analysis Of Wto Action Regarding Paragraph 6 Of The Doha Declaration On The Trips Agreement And Public Health, Brook K. Baker

ExpressO

This paper explores the tortured history of developing countries’ pursuit of access to affordable generic medicines that they are unable to produce efficiently on their own. Having lost rights to treat medicines as essential commodities and as generalized exceptions to patent protections in the WTO TRIPS Agreement, developing countries and public health activists temporarily reasserted the primacy of health over profits in the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health in November of 2001. However, since most developing countries lack meaningful pharmaceutical capacity to manufacture medicines efficiently on their own, they needed flexibility to import medicines from countries …

The Dogmatic And Practical Implications Of Article 78 Of The United Nations Convention On Contracts For The International Sale Of Goods (Cisg) On Claims For Interest Under International Sales Contracts. , Friso Garbers

ExpressO

The paper deals with the current controversy in regard to the interpretation of article 78 Convention on the International Sale of Goods (CISG). In particular, the determination of the interest rate is discussed in detail.

U.S. Foreign Direct Investment In Developing Countries: A Case Study Of Malaysia, Mexico And South Africa, Abenaa A. Oti-Prempeh

LLM Theses and Essays

There is an upsurge for foreign investment in developing countries. Developing countries that seek foreign investment actually prefer foreign direct investment. The issue of foreign direct investment has become a controversial issue among developing countries. Though this type of investment provides economic growth, employment, and infrastructure development, developing countries may also suffer legal and economic manipulation by the foreign investors at the expense of their countries’ resources. The foreign investment policies of developing countries that seek such foreign direct investment ultimately determine the actions of foreign investors. In many developing countries, foreign investment policies and other investment regulation are catalysts …

Developing Internationally Uniform Liability Principles For Harms From Genetically Modified Organisms , Ryan C. Hansen

ExpressO

This paper analyzes the current legal principles regarding liabillity for harms from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the U.S. and E.U., as well as the various international policies and mechanisms affecting GMOs

Wto Plus: Creating Liberal Investment Through Regulating Tax Incentives, Jeremiah Johnson

ExpressO

The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) narrow reading of the Agreement on Trade Related Investment Measures (TRIMs) should be expanded to prohibit specific and targeted tax incentives aimed at attracting foreign investment. These tax incentives restrict investment and trade liberalization. This paper proposes that trade and investment are intrinsically linked, and as such, the WTO is the proper forum to regulate investment measures. This paper argues the case against specific foreign investment attracting tax incentives. These incentives do little to actually attract investment, and are harmful to development. Individual tax incentives also limit the collective global benefits of investment. This paper …

A Gradual Shift In U.S. Privacy Laws Towards A Comprehensive Regime , Kamaal R. Zaidi

ExpressO

This paper examines the current trends in a predominantly sectoral U.S. privacy regime that appears to be becoming more comprehensive in nature with respect to data privacy protection. This trend has been greatly attributed to the European Union's comprehensive position on data privacy protection. This paper investigates the growth in U.S. data privacy protection in relation to federal and state legislative history, federal administrative procedures, and private industry efforts. This shift from sectoral to comprehensive regimes is significant in the backdrop of U.S-EU trade relations.

A Broader View Of Corporate Inversions: The Interplay Of Tax, Corporate And Economic Implications, Orsolya Kun

ExpressO

Multinational corporations have, in substantial numbers, moved their corporate residence from the U.S. to Bermuda, for the purpuse of minimizing U.S. taxation on their worldwide income. This study reviews the forms of these "corporate inversion transactions," and explores their tax implications, as well as their corporate governance implications and motivations. It is the first scholarly study to examine the corporate governance implications of inversions, and it concludes that previously unexplored aspects of the change of corporate domicile result in substantial reduction of accountability of directors and officers and significant impediments to enforcement of shareholder rights.

Atca, Doe V. Unocal: A Paquete Habana Approach To The Rescue, John Haberstroh

ExpressO

The article's centerpiece is the Ninth Circuit litigation (Doe v. Unocal) charging Unocal Corp. with complicity in the Burma’s government’s use of forced labor. The article first examines the Alien Tort Claims Act, under which the action is brought, through an exploration of that statute’s original purpose and historical context. The article then looks at the modern revival of ATCA in international human rights claims, and finally closely considers the Unocal litigation, in particular the September 18, 2002 decision favoring the plaintiffs. (The 2002 decision is undergoing review by an en banc panel of the Ninth Circuit, with the panel’s …

Institutional And Substantive Reform Of The Anti-Dumping And Subsidy Agreements – Lessons From The Israeli Experience, Arie Reich

ExpressO

This article proposes several amendments to the Anti-Dumping (AD) Agreement and the chapter on Countervailing Duties (CVD) of the Subsidies Agreement, drawing from the experience of the State of Israel in AD and CVD administration over more than a decade. In particular, the Article argues for the need for international regulation of the institutional settings of such administration within Member States. To this end, provisions should be added to the relevant WTO agreements that relate to the nature and composition of the national administering authorities, with the guiding principle being to ensure independence of the authorities and objectivity, fairness and …

Punitive Damages: A Comparative Analysis, John Y. Gotanda

Working Paper Series

In light of expanding international trade, it is increasingly likely that politicians, courts and tribunals will wrestle with whether punitive damages are appropriate in transnational disputes, and whether countries that traditionally do no allow exemplary relief should recognize and enforce foreign awards of such damages. Furthermore, by seeing how different systems address these problems, we can gain a deeper understanding of the role of punitive damages in our own legal system and be better able to deal with punitive damages issues in the international arena. This Article undertakes a thorough comparative study of punitive damages in common law countries. It …

Imf Conditionality As Investment Regulation - A Theoretical Analysis, Daniel R. Kalderimis

ExpressO

This article examines the intersection between the International Monetary Fund (“IMF”) and foreign investment. Although the IMF was not originally designed to regulate foreign investment, IMF policies have famously required capital account liberalization as a condition for access to IMF credit. This article explores the implications of such conditionality and finds it problematic. Investment conditionality is outside the IMF’s mandate, difficult to reconcile with other existing investment regulation instruments, inimical to democracy and potentially destabilizing to the debtor country, and ineffective at ensuring long-term stable change. These conclusions necessitate a reappraisal of the governance and operations of the IMF.

But What Will The Wto Disciplines Apply To - Distinguishing Among Market Access, National Treatment And Article Vi:4 Measures When Applying The Gats To Legal Services, Laurel S. Terry

Faculty Scholarly Works

One of the issues currently facing World Trade Organization (WTO) Member States is whether to extend to the legal profession and other service providers the WTO Disciplines for Domestic Regulation in the Accountancy Sector [Accountancy Disciplines]. The Accountancy Disciplines document applies to regulatory measures that would be considered domestic regulations under Article VI:4 of the GATS, rather than market access or national treatment measures under Articles XVI or XVII of the GATS. This paper argues that in order to meaningfully discuss whether to extend the Accountancy Disciplines to the legal profession, U.S. policy-makers and stakeholders need to understand the type …

Sequencing, Acoustic Separation, And 3-D Negotiation Of Complex Barriers: Charlene Barshefsky And Ip Rights In China, Rebecca Green, James K. Sebenius

Faculty Publications

Taking the perspective of the lead U.S. negotiator, Charlene Barshefsky, this article details and analyzes the negotiations that took place in the mid-1990s between the United States and the People's Republic of China over intellectual property rights (IPR). Employing a "negotiation analytic" methodology, Charlene Barshefsky's actions are interpreted to suggest a number of promising approaches to managing the daunting complexities of trade and other negotiations: recognizing the multiparty aspects of apparently bilateral dealings and capturing them in a "deal diagram;" carefully assessing "barriers" to agreement; sequencing to build a winning coalition and overcome potentially blocking ones; "acoustic separation" of issueframes; …

Importing Death As A Part Of Free Trade: An Argument For A Prohibition On The Importation Of Foods Containing The Residue Of Banned Pesticides, Derek Redmond

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Treaties In Collision: The Biosafety Protocol And The World Trade Organization Agreements, Sabrina Safrin

Rutgers Law School (Newark) Faculty Papers

In the event of a conflict between the requirements of the Biosafety Protocol, a multilateral agreement governing the trade in genetically modified organisms, and the requirements of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and associated agreements (collectively WTO Agreements), which treaty's requirements prevail? This question lies as the legal heart of the perceived conflict between trade globalization and environmental protection. This issue is particularly timely given the present trade dispute between the United States and European Union over the European Union’s restrictions on the importation of genetically modified agricultural commodities.

In this piece, I analyze the relationship between these …

Microcredit: Fulfilling Or Belying The Universalist Morality Of Globalizing Markets, Kenneth Anderson

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

No abstract provided.

Inter-American System, Claudia Martin

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

No abstract provided.

Foreign Direct Investment In Colombia, Juliana Gomez

LLM Theses and Essays

After decisions 220/88 and 291/91 of the Andean Pact, Colombia enacted law 9 of 1991. Law 9/91 empowered the National Economic and Social Policy Council (COMPES), a private government consulting agency, to promulgate rules on foreign investment. In the same year, the COMPES promulgated resolution 51 which is the base of the foreign investment regulation in Colombia. The purpose of this study is to analyze the legal aspects of foreign investment of Colombia and compare them with the international standards in order to determine whether the Colombian regulation acts in accordance to those standards or even exceeds them. The standards …

Breaking The Barrier Between Regionalism And Multilateralism: A New Perspective On Trade Regionalism, Sungjoon Cho

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Legacy Of Geographical Morality And Colonialism: A Historical Assessment Of The Current Crusade Against Corruption, Padideh Ala'i

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

This Article examines the legacy of the rule of geographical morality - that is the norm by which a citizen of the country in the North may engage in acts of corruption in any country in the South, including bribery and extortion, without the attachment of any moral condemnation to those acts. Part I of the Article begins by reviewing the impeachment trial of Warren Hastings, who served as Governor General of the Bengal from 1772-1785, on charges of bribery and corruption. It was during that impeachment proceeding when the words "principles of geographical morality" were used by, the prosectuor, …

Chinese Law, Trade And The New Century, Robert C. Berring

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

China crammed a great deal of political activity into the 20th Century. In the year 1900 the Q'ing Dynasty still ruled the remnants of an ancient empire. The Q'ing conspired with rebels in the Boxer Rebellion in the hopes of expelling all foreigners from Chinese soil and returning to splendid isolation. In the year 2000 China is a superpower balancing communist theory and a capitalist market that is about to join the World Trade Organization. The intervening years saw warlords, democrats, fascists, Marxists and all stripes of communists leading the world's largest nation. As China enters the new millennium of …

Integration Of International Financial Regulatory Standards For The Chinese Economic Area: The Challenge For China, Hong Kong, And Taiwan, Lawrence L.C. Lee

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

This article initially reviews the current development of financial services that converge regulatory systems around the world. Along with focusing on banking and securities, this article assesses financial systems and regulators within China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan respectively. The evaluation of the CEA's financial system is based on recommendations issued by the Basle Committee. In addition, with respect to the principle of national treatment, this article evaluates the operations of foreign financial institutions in the CEA. In the future, participation in the WTO will enable the CEA to experience greater growth and increase its participation in the internationalization of financial …

The Illegality Of Unilateral Trade Measures To Resolve Trade-Environment Disputes, Kevin C. Kennedy

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Trends. International Trade And The Subversion Of Justice: Japan, The European Union, And Iraq, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses the moral philosophy, the psychology of moral judgment, and treatises on law often suggest that justice subsumes some combination of behavioral and intentional accountability and equity.

National Legal Restructuring In Accordance With International Norms: Gatt/Wto And China's Trade Reform, Thomas Man

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

No abstract provided.

The Theory Of The Firm And The Theory Of The International Economic Organization: Toward Comparative Institutional Analysis, Joel P. Trachtman

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

Debates regarding the competences and governance of interna- tional economic organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the European Union (EU) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFFA) seem to grow more polarized. Academic lawyers, political scientists and economists seem to add little light to these heated debates. The purpose of this paper is to examine the theory of the firm and related transaction cost-based literatures of new institutional economics (NIE),4 law and economics (L&E) and industrial organizations (IO),' and the application of their analytical techniques to the linked problems of competence and governance of international economic organizations …