SMNR: International Trade in the Trump Era

• Semester: Fall 2020
• Course ID: 397S
• Credit Hours: 3
• Unique: 28488

Description

This course will be taught entirely online via Zoom.

The relationship between international trade and global economic growth is more apparent now than perhaps any other time in recent memory.  However, following the tit-for-tat unilateral tariff measures implemented by the Trump Administration and U.S. trading partners in 2018, the viability of the multilateral trading regime is in question.  This seminar will examine the relationship between that system and domestic trade law and policy, the central legal and economic principles that underpin the multilateral trading system, and the challenges presented to the global trading system by the participation of non-market economies.  The seminar will provide students with the legal and policy context to understand the debate surrounding recent unilateral tariff measures, the Trump Administration’s decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) and negotiate the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), and calls for reform of the multilateral trading system. 

The course will be taught in three increments.  The first increment will focus on the national economic debate surrounding trade liberalization and the evolution of U.S. trade policy from the dawn of the multilateral trading system to the time of the United States’ accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).  We will focus specifically on the role of the executive and legislative branches in the formulation of U.S. trade policy and examine current calls to recalibrate the separation of powers in this area.  The second increment will examine select topics in WTO dispute settlement and is designed to: (1) provide an overview of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)―its architecture and major principles; (2) highlight decisions that have led to dissatisfaction with the mechanism among some WTO Members; and (3) analyze potential avenues for WTO reform.  The third increment will focus on the promise of China’s accession to the WTO and the reality of its tenure in the organization, which has exposed significant structural limitations within the multilateral trading system. 

There are no prerequisites.  Grades will be determined based on classroom participation (20%) and a final research paper (80%).

            Source materials will be provided online.