June summits signal progress on EU-US trade ties

Significance The two sides have suspended tariffs arising from their dispute over subsidies to Airbus and Boeing, are working on an international deal on corporate taxation and have established a high-level council to discuss issues at the nexus of security, technology and trade. Impacts A major aim of closer transatlantic cooperation is better coordination of policies with respect to China. Closer transatlantic cooperation over China might soften US opposition to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. It will be difficult for the US government to pass legislation concerning trade given the Democrats' precarious majority in both houses.

Subject The US indictment of Russian intelligence officers. Significance The latest indictment to come out of the investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller is the most striking yet as it targets Russian state actors for the first time. It sets out charges of hacking into Democratic Party networks, stealing more than 50,000 documents and using them for disruptive purposes in the 2016 US presidential election. Despite the considerable level of detail in the evidence offered, the White House has yet to address publicly the issues raised or confronting Russia. Impacts US government, election software providers, parties and social media platforms will face pressure to prepare for the midterm elections. Detailed attribution of cyber interference will likely weaken the notion that perpetrators enjoy a high level of plausible deniability. Hackers will continue to employ 'spearphishing' for its simplicity, success rate and cost-effectiveness.


Subject US sanctions. Significance The US government views the new Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, running from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, as increasing European dependence on Russian fuels when the Russian government is reasserting its influence in Eastern and Central Europe. The US administration has imposed extraterritorial sanctions against corporations constructing the pipeline. This may simply be a tactic to encourage more European purchases of US natural gas, but it is also consistent with the US administration’s mercantilist attitude towards trade. Impacts Nord Stream 2 sanctions will hurt some European firms, akin to the effect of US sanctions against European firms still operating in Iran. No evidence shows that the US policy is improving firms’ sales, which may discourage firms from currying favour with the administration. The US corruption probe into Airbus may boost Boeing and Lockheed Martin in the US market and make it harder for China’s COMAC to enter.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Morales Pedraza

It has become common practice for the US administration to apply sanctions to countries that adopt policies to defend their political, economic, and military interests but affect or are against those of the US. The application of the US sanctions policy has been extended in recent years to include even friendly or allied countries. When is the US sanction policy applied? In principle, when other countries assume positions or adopt political, economic, and military policies that do not respect or reflect the US interests or do not support its commercial, economic, political, or military policies and positions. As a result of the US sanctions policy's expansion application, now the US government does not distinguish between allies, friends, adversaries, or enemies. Sanctions against Germany and other European countries and companies and Russian companies for constructing the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline are clear examples of what has been said above. But, what happens if all great powers apply the same US sanction policy? The reaction of China, Russia, and the EU, among others rejecting the US sanctions policy covering political, economic, and military issues, complicates the search for acceptable solutions to the main world problems increasing tensions at this level. Undoubtedly, this is not the way to find acceptable solutions to international or regional disputes. They can only be found through negotiations in good faith, the use of diplomacy, and increasing trust among countries involved in regional and international disputes. The use of unilateral force, the adoption of arbitrary sanctions, or the threat of military actions to force change another country's position or policy will not strengthen international peace and security but the contrary.


Significance The European Commission and the US government on February 2 announced a political agreement in principle on rules to govern the transfer of data between them: the EU-US Privacy Shield. The two sides hope the deal, which will be finalised in the coming weeks, will constitute a suitable replacement for the Safe Harbour agreement declared illegal by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in October 2015. However, already privacy advocates are criticising the contours of the arrangements, while European data protection agencies are suspending judgement until the full details are revealed at end-February. Impacts The United States will need to scale up oversight and dispute resolution capacities in the federal government to address European concerns. If European concerns are not assuaged by the agreement, major US companies may increase their EU-based data-storage and management capacity. This will raise costs for US tech companies, but it will also boost the trust of Europeans in US data companies.


Significance Despite this, Biden indicated no change in the US position after a bilateral agreement with Germany effectively paved the way to completing the pipeline. Technically, Nord Stream 2 could begin partially operating in October. Impacts The recent spike in European gas prices to levels unseen since 2008 reinforces the case for Nord Stream 2's speedy completion. EU energy diversification, with a focus on renewables, poses long-term questions about the viability of both the Nord Stream pipelines. From October, Hungary will switch to Gazprom gas supplied via Serbia and Austria instead of through Ukrainian pipelines.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross D. Petty

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the debate about brand marketing that occurred as part of the 1930s consumer movement and continued after the Second World War in academic and regulatory circles. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents an historical account of the anti-brand marketing movement using a qualitative approach. It examines both primary and secondary historical sources as well as legal statutes, regulatory agency actions, judicial cases and newspaper and trade journal stories. Findings In response to the rise of brand marketing in the latter 1800s and early 1900s, the USA experienced an anti-brand marketing movement that lasted half a century. The first stage was public as part of the consumer movement but was overshadowed by the product safety and truth-in-advertising concerns. The consumer movement stalled when the USA entered the Second World War, but brand marketing continued to raise questions during the war as the US government attempted to regulate the provisions of goods during the war. After the war, the public accepted brand marketing. Continuing anti-brand marketing criticism was largely confined to academic writings and regulatory activities. Ultimately, many of the stage-two challenges to brand marketing went nowhere, but a few led to regulations that continue today. Originality/value This paper is the first to recognize a two-stage anti-brand marketing movement in the USA from 1929 to 1980 that has left a small but significant modern-day regulatory legacy.


2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 2-6
Author(s):  
Bethany Latham

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the US Government Publishing Office’s (GPO) partnership program: what it is, how the GPO defines partnership, the types of institutions that are participating and the resources these institutions are making available through partnership. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews the available literature and information from the US GPO on its partnership program, examines the institutions contributing to the program and what those contributions entail, surveys the resources made available through these partnerships and examines how this affects access to government information. Findings – Partnership with the US GPO provides benefits to libraries, museums, government agencies and other entities, increasing discoverability and enhancing access to digital collections of government information and other resources. Originality/value – This paper examines the parameters of the US GPO’s partnership program, why libraries and other institutions might wish to partner with the GPO and the effect these partnerships have had on enhancing access to government information resources, an area that has not been extensively covered in library literature.


2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Barthélémy Michalon

Subject area Diplomatic and consular policies; legal aspects of international relations and Asia regional scenario. Study level/applicability Undergraduate. Case overview In April 2012, high-level officials from China and the USA were about to meet in Beijing in the framework of the bilateral Strategic and Economic Dialogue, organized on a yearly basis. The event was always delicate, due to the ambiguous relationship existing between the two countries, which were at the same time rivals and dependent on one another. That time, the tension previous to the meeting increased significantly: a Chinese human rights activist had just sought and obtained diplomatic protection in the US Embassy in Beijing, thus creating an embarrassing situation for both States' foreign departments […] How could they possibly solve this contentious issue without affecting their already sensitive relationship? Expected learning outcomes Analytical: to be aware of the political nature of the current Chinese Government; to realize the concrete and practical implications of an Embassy's special status; to balance two contradictory objectives, in a specific situation where none of them can be fully discarded; to contrast and try to combine long-term goals (in this case, to maintain a functioning relationship between two main world powers) with short-term objectives (in this case, how to deal with a Chinese activist that required protection against his own country's security forces); to find a modus vivendi (conciliation) between values and interests; to get convinced that certain kinds of negotiations cannot be conceived through a “win or lose” approach: in this case, the only way out must be respectful of the two parties' core interests; and to take into account that image preservation (“face-saving”) must be included within any country's objectives in any situation involving diplomatic means. Conceptual: the purpose is to familiarize the students with specific concepts, such as: best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA), which is to be mentioned as part of the discussion (it is not included in the case study itself); interdependence; (purported) Group of Two; asylum and refuge; Immunity; and sending state/receiving state. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.


Significance Several recent strains in the relationship guaranteed a tense official dialogue and tepid reception of Xi across Washington -- the impact of China's economic slowdown on the US stock market, accusations of Chinese cyber theft of US government workers' personal data, and continued maritime tensions. Impacts China's climate change commitments will improve its international image, but will not reduce tensions on other issues. Washington will impose sanctions if it believes China is breaking the new cybercrime agreement. US politics ahead of next year's presidential election will put more strain on China-US relations. Dialogue on the South China Sea is unlikely to bear fruit while Washington's policy is undecided.


Subject Asylum-seekers and Canada. Significance After an uptick in asylum claims in recent months, including via the United States, asylum policy is likely to feature more heavily in Canadian state and federal politics. Impacts New migrant flows to Canada will likely be triggered as the US government reduces its grants of Temporary Protected Status. Quebec’s government will face off against the Ottawa federal government over responsibility for new migrant arrivals. Ottawa and Washington will likely eventually update the Safe Third Country Agreement, but this could require bargaining. Canada may invest more in border policing and associated technologies.


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