Understanding Trade Law

A fantastic introduction to international trade! Trebilcock does an outstanding job in breaking through the myth that international trade is somehow too hard to learn without years of study. The field is in desperate need of an expertly written yet accessible presentation, and now it has one. This should be everyones first book on the subject. - Andrew Guzman, University of California, US Michael Trebilcock is one of the leading scholars in the world on the law and economics of international trade. In this compact volume, he offers a concise and lucid survey of the legal and policy issues associated with this increasingly important body of law. It gives non-specialists an accessible introduction to the major issue areas, and is full of insights that specialists will find useful as well. - Alan O. Sykes, Stanford Law School, US This elegantly written and essential volume fills three important gaps. First, it provides an admirably accessible and precise explanation of international trade law, serving to inform students and neophyte practitioners. Second, it encapsulates Prof. Trebilcocks mastery of the doctrine and economic rationales of trade law, serving to inform scholars and advanced practitioners. Third, it develops a well-informed, nuanced, and wise critique of trade law, pointing the way forward for policy-makers. - Joel P. Trachtman, Tufts University, US Michael Trebilcock is one of the intellectual giants in the law of international trade. This work makes an important contribution to our understanding of trade law and will become a classic in the field. It is masterly. - Jagdish Bhagwati, Columbia University, US This book provides a short, straightforward account of the basic structure and principles of international trade law written by one of the leading authorities in this field. The book covers, in a series of short chapters, all the major issues in international trade law, including dispute settlement; the Most Favoured Nation Principle; preferential trade agreements; the National Treatment Principle; contingent protection laws (anti-dumping, countervailing duties and safeguards); trade and agriculture; trade and services; trade and investment; trade-related intellectual property rights; trade policy and domestic health; safety, environmental and labour regulation; and trade policy and developing countries. Each chapter sets out the basic provisions and relevant GATT/WTO agreements governing the issues in question, the central issues or conflicts that have arisen in the interpretation and application of these provisions, leading GATT/WTO case law generated by the formal dispute settlement processes of the GATT/WTO, and unresolved issues that remain a matter of controversy.