International trade law scholar can comment on US pausing contributions to WTO, automotive tariffs
LAWRENCE — The United States has paused financial contributions to the World Trade Organization, it was reported March 27, as President Donald Trump continues to slash government spending and isolate the U.S. from global agencies such as the WTO and the World Health Organization. Raj Bhala, an international trade law expert at the University of Kansas who has closely studied the WTO, is available to speak with media about the development, how it will affect trade, free trade agreements, the larger trade war, Trump’s economic agenda — including recently announced auto tariffs — and more.
Bhala, Brenneisen Distinguished Professor of Law at KU, can discuss the announcement, the WTO’s larger mission, its history, its place in global trade, what the move will mean for the United States, its trading partners and how other nations around the globe may respond. The announcement comes on the heels of an announcement from the Trump administration it will place 25% tariffs on autos not made in the United States as well as certain auto parts
“In less than its first 100 days in office, the Trump administration has followed the script of economic nationalism it laid out in the Inauguration Day America First Trade Policy Memorandum: Define virtually every trade issue as a matter of national security; threaten or impose tariffs against merchandise of friend and foe alike; act without regard to decades-long multilateral and regional treaty obligations; expand the Sino-American Trade War into a global trade war; and promote an autarkic economy,” Bhala said.
In addition to the WTO move and auto tariffs, Bhala has been following the on-again, off-again tariffs the Trump administration has levied or threatened against Canada, Mexico and China, the United States’ largest trading partners. A dual citizen of the United States and Canada, Bhala is the author of the world-renowned, eight-volume “International Trade Law: A Comprehensive E-Textbook” (available Open Access on KU ScholarWorks) as well as more than a dozen books and 100 journal articles on international trade law, free trade agreements, the World Trade Organization, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, a major new publication on the shattering of the world trading system and more. He practiced international banking law at the Federal Reserve in New York and has worked in more than 25 countries around the globe.
To schedule an interview, contact Mike Krings at 785-864-8860 or mkrings@ku.edu.