Juscelino F. Colares, J.D., Ph.D. – Schott-van den Eynden Professor of Business Law and Professor of Political Science; Associate Director, Frederick K. Cox International Law Center

Dear Colleagues:

For decades, the United States was the main organizer of a system of multilateral and regional frameworks to encourage international commerce, such as the WTO and NAFTA.

The Trump Administration has rejected this approach with both statements and actions.

The President has criticized multilateral agreements, on the grounds that the United States could negotiate more favorable bilateral deals. The administration rejected the draft Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and forced a renegotiation of NAFTA. It has also resorted to an array of remedies, based on existing law, designed to address allegedly unfair trade practices. Escalating threats threaten trade wars but can also lead to negotiations.

The Trump trade initiatives raise a lot of questions. One is whether Democrats who are skeptical of the free trade ideology should oppose or support the administration’s actions. This is related to the possible effects of conflict on the national economy. It also involves whether the administration is choosing the right targets. In practice, it can be hard to discern the principles, other than pure suspicion, behind the administration’s specific choices. Professor Colares joins us to suggest how the parts of the Trump Administration’s trade policy fit together – and to what extent it has been successful.

All best regards,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies

About Our Guest

Juscelino F. Colares is the Schott-van den Eynden Professor of Business Law, Professor of Political Science and Associate Director of the Frederick K. Cox International Law Center. Colares teaches courses in civil procedure, conflict of laws and international business law and regulatory law. His scholarship explores interjurisdictional problems that emerge in litigation involving conflicts between national regulatory law and international norms. Colares’s research has appeared in leading peer-reviewed journals and law reviews, including the American Law and Economics Review, Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, Journal of International Economic Law, Journal of World Trade, Jurimetrics, Revista dos Tribunais(Brazil), Columbia Journal of European Law, Cornell International Law Journal, Georgetown International Environmental Law Review and Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law.

A former clerk for the Hon. Jean-Louis Debré, former Chief Justice of the Conseil constitutionnel (the French Constitutional Court) (2008-09 term) and visiting professor at Ecole normale supérieure in Paris, Colares was born in Brazil and is a naturalized citizen of the United States. Colares practiced law at Dewey Ballantine, LLP in Washington, D.C., where he litigated trade cases before federal agencies, federal courts and NAFTA panels.

Where We Meet

The Friday Public Affairs Lunch convenes each Friday when classes are in session, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Our programs are open to all and no registration is required. We usually meet in the Dampeer Room of Kelvin Smith Library.

* Kelvin Smith Library requires all entrants to show identification when entering the building, unless they have a university i.d. that they can magnetically scan. We are sorry if that seems like a hassle, but it has been Library policy for a while in response to security concerns. Please do not complain to the library staff at the entrance, who are just doing their jobs.

Parking Possibilities

The most convenient parking is the lot underneath Severance Hall. We regret that it is not free. From that lot there is an elevator up to street level (labeled as for the Thwing Center); it is less than 50 yards from that exit to the library entrance. You can get from the Severance garage to the library without going outside. Near the entry gates – just to the right if you were driving out – there is a door into a corridor. Walk down the corridor and there will be another door. Beyond that door you’ll find the entrance to an elevator which goes up to an entrance right inside the doors to Kelvin Smith Library.

Schedule of Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

February 15: China’s Precarious Rise. With Paul Schroeder, Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science.

February 22: The Real Problems With Ohio’s State Tax System. With Tatyana Guzman, Assistant Professor in Public Finance, Cleveland State University Levin College of Urban Affairs.

March 1: A European Perspective on American Politics. With Patrick Chamorel, Senior Resident Scholar, Stanford University Center in Washington, DC. Alternate Location: Guildord House First Floor Parlor, 11112 Bellflower Road, Cleveland.

March 8: Victims, Perpetrators, and the Problem of Domestic Violence. With Laura Voith, Assistant Professor, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.

March 15: No Discussion, Spring Break

March 22: Germany’s New Party Politics? With Andreas Sobisch, Associate Professor of Political Science, John Carroll University.

March 29: What Do We Know About the Health and Safety Effects of Marijuana: Medical, Recreational, or Otherwise? With Theodore Parran Jr. MD, Isabel and Carter Wang Professor and Chair in Medical Education and Associate Director, Rosary Hall at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.

April 5: The Polar Silk Road? With Kathryn C. Lavelle, Ellen and Dixon Long Professor of World Affairs.

April 12: TBA

April 19: Managing in a Trumped-Up Economy. With Mark Sniderman, Executive-in-Residence and Adjunct Professor of Economics, Weatherhead School, and former Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.

April 26: TBA