International Trade Law

This course examines the law and policy of international trade in goods and services. It begins with an overview of the economics and politics of international trade, and then moves on to study the core legal obligations that states have under the WTO/GATT rules. These rules address tariff and non-tariff barriers, discrimination of importers, regional trade agreements, anti-dumping duties, countervailing duties, and safeguards measures. We will analyze the negotiation, implementation, and enforcement of international trade agreements, with a particular interest in the relationship between free trade and other areas of international cooperation, such as environment, public health, intellectual property protection, human rights and development. Finally, we will discuss the current trade politics, including the pressures to reform the WTO dispute settlement mechanism, the ongoing US-China trade and tech war, unfolding subsidy races, and the rise of protectionism in general. A student's grade will be based on a final examination and class participation. Textbook Link. https://genevatradeplatform.org/e-casebook/