William Krist's Blog, page 63

Five Trade Policy Wishes for the New Year

2015 will be a watershed year for U.S. trade policy! Since the World Trade Organization and the North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect in the mid-1990s, the U.S. has been unable to make significant progress in liberalizing world trade and strengthening global trade rules. However, negotiations are nearing completion on an enormous trade […]

German Consumer Protection or Protectionism?

During the negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), many consumers expressed concerns about future regulatory standards and their impact on consumer protection. Most notably, German consumers and media staged a veritable campaign against “chlorine chicken“ which became a synonym for widespread anxiety in an age of global trade. Many Germans also fear […]

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations – It’s Time to Open the Kimono

Negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that would largely eliminate all barriers to trade between 12 nations, including countries as diverse as the U.S. and Vietnam, Japan and Malaysia, are nearing the end game. The TPP negotiations have been a keystone of U.S. trade policy since 2008, but they have been largely negotiated behind closed […]

U.S. Trade Policy in Gridlock

The Obama Administration is negotiating a number of extremely important trade agreements that will have enormous commercial and geopolitical significance if successful. The farthest along is the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) which aims to eliminate barriers to trade between 12 Asia-Pacific economies.  Another major negotiation is for a free trade agreement between the U.S. and […]

Guest Blog : Air Transport Services Liberalization

Millions of Americans every year will board airplanes in the United States and fly somewhere else, either within the country, or to a foreign location. As long as they fly somewhere within the United States, they are guaranteed to fly on an airline operated by an American company (though precisely what this means can be […]

The Future of ISDS/TTIP will be Decided in Karlsruhe (Germany)

After the Fukushima disaster, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her party decided in a unilateral move to apply a three month moratorium on nuclear energy as of March 2011. Several months later, the German Parliament passed new amendments to the Atomic Energy Act, which required eight older plants to end their operations and the remaining […]

Guest Blog: How to Resolve the Ukraine Crisis – Start with Trade

The Ukraine crisis has come full circle. While images of revolution, war, annexation, and invasion remain fresh, it is important to remember that this upheaval actually began as a trade dispute. The EU and Ukraine wanted to increase trade via the association agreement, and Russia loudly objected, first with words and soon thereafter with guns. […]

Guest Blog: Why Prompt Adoption and Implementation of the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement Is Important

Economists and international business leaders agree that improvements in trade facilitation may be a greater benefit to expanded trade in goods and world GDP than further tariff reductions. Peterson Institute economists estimated last year that trade facilitation improvements could increase world GDP by almost $1 trillion annually. World Bank research estimates that for each day […]

What is an “American Company”? And Does It Matter?

Thirty years ago companies headquartered in the U.S. purchased most of their parts and materials and sold most of their products here in America. They were “American companies” clearly dependent on the U.S. government and society. Today, however, many companies are global, even though their headquarters may still be in the U.S. They source raw […]

TRANSATLANTIC CONCERNS REGARDING TTIP

Negotiations for the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) present a historic opportunity to promote commerce and economic growth in Europe and the United States; however, these negotiations have raised a number of major transatlantic concerns. Most notably, there have been fierce discussions over the alleged lack of transparency, issues of regulations and standards, as […]