War, Sanctions, and the Future of the Trade Regime
The World Trade Review (WTR) invites submissions for a special symposium on “War, Sanctions, and the Future of the Trade Regime.”
The invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing sanctions against Russia have been described as a “watershed” moment with major repercussions for the future global order. Aside from tragic loss of life and displacement of people, the war has caused major disruptions in international supply chains, triggered an exodus of foreign firms from Russia and prompted an unprecedented array of economic and financial sanctions. The WTR symposium aims to provide the WTR community early academic commentary on the complex, legal, political, and economic consequences for the future of global economic governance.
In particular, the WTR symposium invites academic analysis on the following questions and issues:
- Role of security exceptions in trade and investment agreements in times of conflicts
- Withdrawal of MFN benefits (legality, differences between approaches, implications)
- Relationship between the UN Charter, general international law, and the trade and investment regimes during armed conflict
- Implications of financial sanctions on trade and investment rules (non-discrimination, free transfer of funds, expropriation etc.)
- Initial assessment of geopolitical and geoeconomic implications for trade relations
- Scope and mechanisms for accommodating the needs of developing countries (special and differential treatment) under sanction regimes
- Implications of trade and investment sanctions for energy and food security
- Effects of sanctions on short term trade and investment flow patterns
- Long term legal, economic and policy implications such as a reshoring of production or the splintering of supply chains and finance resulting from the conflict
Submissions should take the form of a research note (max. 7,000 words) and offer a novel and original scholarly assessment of the legal, economic, and political issues raised. We especially encourage interdisciplinary submissions.
Find the instructions on how to submit your work here.
Prospective authors should submit their work by 1 of July through the WTR portal and indicate that they seek to contribute to the Symposium. Submissions will be considered like all other submissions to the journal but will benefit from an expedited peer review. We particularly welcome our community in Eastern Europe to submit to the Symposium, particularly our Ukrainian colleagues.