Ongoing Goings On: A News Update on WTO

Ongoing Goings On: A News Update on WTO

_From time to time, CSIS Scholl Chair in International Business will be providing news updates about the World Trade Organization. This update centers on ongoing e-commerce and fisheries negotiations, Information Technology Agreement compliance, and trade disputes._

Structural Change or Blip?

Structural Change or Blip?

Are political parties realigning on trade in what may well turn out to be a long-term structural change?

Six Months Later: An Evaluation

Six Months Later: An Evaluation

Any evaluation must look both at the policy and its implementation—regular readers of this column may remember the story of the grasshopper and the ant. If the latter is flawed, then the merits of the policy end up being little more than a footnote.

Midterm Election Results—What Did It Mean for Trade?

Midterm Election Results—What Did It Mean for Trade?

This week’s topic is obvious. The United States had midterm elections last week. What did it mean for trade? That is really two questions: what did the voters say about the president’s trade policy and what, if anything, is likely to change when the new Congress convenes in January?

Will the Election Results Turn the Tide on Trade?

Will the Election Results Turn the Tide on Trade?

On November 6, voters flipped the House of Representatives away from Republican control into the hands of Democratic members. Republicans managed to strengthen their grip on the Senate. These developments will have implications for the administration’s trade policy agenda, although some questions remain given the evolving and unconventional political dynamics surrounding the issue.

Services, Services

Services, Services

Our Trade Guys podcast was fortunate last week to have Christine Bliss as our guest. She is president of the Coalition of Service Industries (CSI), the main organization in town representing services companies.  The conversation began with what sounded like a softball question but was not: what are services anyway? 

New Trump Administration’s Trade Negotiations: What’s Next?

New Trump Administration’s Trade Negotiations: What’s Next?

The Trump administration has formally notified Congress that it intends to negotiate trade agreements with the European Union, United Kingdom, and Japan. The Scholl Chair explores what the next steps for each party are and where the negotiations could lead.

What Goes Around Comes Around

What Goes Around Comes Around

Does the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement signal a return to the days of managed trade? If so, is there any merit to that trade policy approach?

Fixing the WTO

Fixing the WTO

CSIS was privileged last week to host the U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dennis Shea, for a public conversation. Ambassador Shea did not make front page news, no doubt much to his relief. No surprise there. Even in the best of circumstances, the WTO rarely makes the front page, and we are hardly in the best of circumstances. He did, however, do an excellent job of both defending and explaining the administration's policy toward the organization.