TRUMP & BIDEN — From Cronyism to Engagement, Hopefully. | GLOBAL TRADE RELATIONS ……………………… Trade News & Legal Commentary

[Recent postings on Twitter since the Presidential Election as of January 1, 2021 ………… Stuart S. Malawer (@smalawer) / Twitter]

Good editorial on Tariffs and Tariff Exclusions. Downside of tariffs is more market distortion. Terrible Trump tariff and trade policy. Nationalistic protectionism doesn’t help anyone. Tariff cronyism is terrible. Biden needs to reject this asap. 12.29.20

Good Financial Times editorial. Need to fully engage with the global trading system. Trade & retraining are critical for economic development in rural areas. Negotiating & adjudicating rules by the WTO are important. Biden needs to reject Trump trade policies asap. 12.29.20.

More trade chaos from Trump’s dying days in office. We need cooperation and competition. Not confrontation. US-China relations are too important for foreign policy by personal grievance and nation-baiting. Use of the national security authority (under Commerce’s ‘Entity List’) to bar computer chip exports to China is really questionable. Part of Trump’s misguided & harmful trade policies. This is a continued distortion of national security authority delegated by the Congress. 12.19.20

Terribly NYT editorial. WTO crisis mainly caused by Trump’s nihilistic actions. Need engagement , not pathological destructiveness. Was US creation, building & adjudicating trade rules. Destroying domestic & int’l rules & institutions need to stop, now. 12.18.20

Interesting cases filed in federal courts against Qatar for financing terrorist via US banking system — when Americans were killed abroad. Under ‘US Anti-Terrorism Act.’ Convergence of national security, federal courts & extraterritoriality of US law. 12.16.30

Biden’s global trade agenda is huge. Critically important to move away from unilateralism & isolationism toward a rules-based system & multilateral organizations. Global problems need global resolutions and cooperation. Universities can help. 11.26.20

Yellen’s appointment as Secretary of Treasury is really important for international tax & trade sanction issues. Treasury Department’s authority in these areas is often overlooked, but growing rapidly. It is critical to US trade policy, foreign policy and national security. 11.25.20

Biden’s picks for his national security & foreign policy teams contain host of lawyers. Tony Blinken (State), Jake Sullivan (Nat’l Security), Avril Haines (DNI), Alex Mayorkas (DHS). Glad they all probably read and studied Henkin’s legal classic FOREIGN AFFIRS & THE CONSTITUTION. 11.25.20

Now even in the dying days of his administration Trump is considering withdrawing from yet another international agreement —- the WTO’s Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) —- Enough chaos already. Just leave. 11.23.20

Biden will put early emphasis on reengaging with int’l institutions & arrangements. Such as the New Start Treaty, Paris Climate Accord, Iranian Nuclear deal, & the World Health Organization. Also to be addressed is the WTO & host of others. This is good. 11.23.20

Bad News. Leaving the Open Skies Agreement during the dying days of his administration. How much worse can Trump get? Really impacting U.S. national security out of spite. 11.22.20

Good piece in the WSJ today. Highlights Cordell Hull 1930’s championing of free trade amidst the Great Depression. Rejecting narrow self-interest and promoting int’l cooperation. It was a beginning. Such policy still needed very much today. 11.21.20

My guess is upon leaving office Trump will be confronted with a broad range of civil litigation & probably criminal prosecutions. As well as further tax & fraud investigations. This involves the Trump Organization & multiple questionable transactions. 11.14.20

Just outrageous. Trump, on his way out imposed new investment restrictions on US investors in Chinese firms Under IEEPA and national security. He needs to step back & stop meddling. Now. 11.13.20

Good piece on trade issues Biden will face including the TPP & China. However, many more are in need of attention — existing tariffs, trade sanctions, WTO. A host of international institutions need close attention (the WHO, OECD, EU, NATO .. 11.6.20

Trump’s Trade War’s a Failure. No increase in manufacturing or exports (merchandise or agricultural).No decrease in trade deficit. A lot of grievances, but no win. Worse trade relations with China & our allies. ‘America First Strategy” didn’t work. Period. 11.2.20

Global antitrust & global tax avoidance, especially by global technology firms a

re big issues. EU & US are only now confronting them. Too bad these issues (& increased civic engagement with foreign policy generally) is not discussed this election year. We need int’l cooperation. 10.24.20

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