Trade Matters

Dr. Michael Plummer, Eni Professor of International Economics at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and Director of SAIS Europe, discusses all things Asia, emphasizing the three things he thinks are “the big news” from the region: the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP); the China-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP); and economic integration in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He explains why political and strategic implications surrounding trade negotiations are often more important than the economic ones, using his own research on India’s withdrawal from RCEP to demonstrate the point. He also tells us why we should be paying more attention to ASEAN. Opinions expressed on Trade Matters are solely those of the guest or host and not the Yeutter Institute or the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Show Notes:

Going It Alone in the Asia-Pacific: Regional Trade Agreements Without the United States by Peter A. Petri, Michael G. Plummer, Shujiro Urata, and Fan Zhai

The Truth About Trade by Douglas A. Irwin

TradeVistas.org Editor-in-Chief Andrea Durkin dives into the U.S.-China Phase One deal, explaining why she believes it is an example of U.S. leadership at its best and how it may help U.S. agriculture over the long term. She also discusses the lesser-known joint effort of the U.S., EU, and Japan to tackle industrial subsidies to state-owned enterprises—a problem at the heart of the U.S.-China dispute—and highlights a trade issue that she believes should get more attention in 2020 and beyond. Opinions expressed on Trade Matters are solely those of the guest or host and not the Yeutter Institute or the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Show Notes:

Redesigning Trade Deals in the Age of Trump by Andrea Durkin

How China's Economic Aggression Threatens the Technologies and Intellectual Property of the United States and the World White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, June 2018

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

Kenneth Smith Ramos, who served as Mexico’s lead negotiator on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), explains how Mexico approached the negotiation and walks through one of the major sticking points that has held up the pact’s consideration by the full U.S. House of Representatives: labor provisions and how they would be enforced. He describes a key strategy Mexico employed to build domestic consensus in Mexico around USMCA, which helped lead to the deal’s ratification in the Mexican Senate in June, 2019. He also explains why the periodic review built into USMCA is useful not just for policymakers—but for all of us. Opinions expressed on Trade Matters are solely those of the guest or host and not the Yeutter Institute or the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Show Notes:

Emmanuel Macron in His Own Words The Economist, 11/7/2019

Katrin Kuhlmann, Visiting Professor at Georgetown University Law Center and President and Founder of New Markets Lab, discusses a region where she sees unprecedented levels of enthusiasm around harnessing trade’s potential to boost economic growth: Africa. She describes emerging new approaches to international economic law, explains why the African Continental Free Trade Agreement could be a landmark for trade and development, and unpacks how some developing countries are benefiting from U.S.-China trade tensions. Opinions expressed on Trade Matters are solely those of the guest or host and not the Yeutter Institute or the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Show Notes:

World Trade and Investment Law Reimagined: A Progressive Agenda for an Inclusive Globalization Edited by Alvaro Santos, Chantal Thomas, David Trubek

Trade and Poverty Reduction: New Evidence of Impacts in Developing Countries Joint Publication by the World Bank Group and the World Trade Organization, 2018

Coalition for GSP

Bruce Hirsh, founder of Tailwind Global Strategies and former Legal Advisor to the U.S. Mission to the World Trade Organization, explains why the World Trade Organization’s highest appeals court—the Appellate Body—may cease to function as of December 11, 2019, and why it matters. He discusses why the Appellate Body was created, the critiques about how it operates, and the dynamics that led to this crisis point. He also weighs in on whether the crisis was inevitable and what he sees as the greatest risk posed by a collapse of the Appellate Body. Opinions expressed on Trade Matters are solely those of the guest or host and not the Yeutter Institute or the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Show Notes:

Closing Pandora's Box: The Growing Abuse of the National Security Rationale for Restricting Trade by Simon Lester and Huan Zhu

Chuck Hagel, former U.S. Senator from Nebraska (1997-2009) and U.S. Secretary of Defense (2013-2015), explains why he thinks “trade war” is not an accurate or useful way to describe recent trade dynamics between the United States and trading partners. He also examines the relationship between the economic health of the United States and the country’s national security and explains how trade and economics figured into his role as Secretary of Defense. Opinions expressed on Trade Matters are solely those of the guest or host and not the Yeutter Institute or the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Show Notes:

Present at the Creation by Dean Acheson

America: Our Next Chapter by Chuck Hagel with Peter Kaminsky

Michael Salerno, Vice President of Global Banking for First National Bank of Omaha, discusses how trade policy changes impact risk dynamics in global banking, what a banker looks for in the content of new free trade agreements, and what it takes to capitalize on new relationships in new markets. He also discusses the two most important global developments he’s watching as a global banker. Opinions expressed on Trade Matters are solely those of the guest or host and not the Yeutter Institute or the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Show Notes:

Economist Espresso

E002: Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow and Visiting Professor at Western Washington University Edward Alden puts today’s trade policy dynamics in historical perspective. He discusses how the Peterson Memo of 1971 served as a warning about the disruptive aspects of globalization; unpacks the delicate balance between the goals of maximizing trade flows and improving domestic welfare; explains why he thinks state and local governments should have a stronger voice in trade policy; and makes a bold prediction about how future historians will look back on this moment in the life of the World Trade Organization. Opinions expressed on Trade Matters are solely those of the guest or host and not the Yeutter Institute or the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Show Notes:

The Hidden Wealth of Nations by Gabriel Zucman

Failure to Adjust: How Americans Got Left Behind in the Global Economy by Edward Alden

E001: Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts discusses how he weighs in with Washington on trade policy, where he sees opportunities for Nebraska exports, and how he strategizes for trade missions. He also shares what he’s read lately that helps shape his thinking on trade and the international order. Opinions expressed on Trade Matters are solely those of the guest or host and not the Yeutter Institute or the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.