In a significant shift in international policy, the United States, European Union, and United Kingdom have each taken steps to ease sanctions on Syria, aiming to support the country’s reconstruction and political transition following the fall of the Assad regime.Continue Reading Syria-ous Changes for Middle East Business? The United States, UK, and Europe Relax Sanctions on Syria
Recently, the Texas House of Representatives introduced HB 5007, along with its companion bill SB 2117. The legislation—“Relating to the establishment of the Texas Committee on Foreign Investment to review certain transactions involving certain foreign entities; creating a civil penalty”—is currently under committee review. If enacted, the Lone Star State would become the first state to establish its own interagency committee to screen foreign investments, modeled in part on the federal Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).Continue Reading Big State, Big Scrutiny: Texas Steps into the Foreign Investment Review Arena
Years ago, when I was a baby lawyer living in a group house in DC, we had a toaster—my toaster. I had owned the toaster
Continue Reading Throwing Away the Toaster: Where AI Controls Are Now and May be Heading
The second Trump administration has come flying out of the starting blocks on international trade policy actions—imposing and rescinding, shaping and reshaping tariffs, sanctions, and export controls. The executive orders and directives have come so thick and fast that it is not always simple for businesses to chart a consistent policy direction and develop their plans to account for what might be coming next.Continue Reading A Roadmap for Export Controls? Project 2025 and the Future of U.S. Exports – Part III
The second Trump administration has come flying out of the starting blocks on international trade policy actions—imposing and rescinding, shaping and reshaping tariffs, sanctions, and export controls. The executive orders and directives have come so thick and fast that it is not always simple for businesses to chart a consistent policy direction and develop their plans to account for what might be coming next.Continue Reading A Roadmap for Export Controls? Project 2025 and the Future of U.S. Exports – Part II
The second Trump administration has come flying out of the starting blocks on international trade policy actions—imposing and rescinding, shaping and reshaping tariffs, sanctions, and export controls. The executive orders and directives have come so thick and fast that it is not always simple for businesses to chart a consistent policy direction and develop their plans to account for what might be coming next.Continue Reading A Roadmap for Export Controls? Project 2025 and the Future of U.S. Exports – Part I
On April 16, 2025, the Department of Commerce announced that it initiated an investigation on April 1, 2025, under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, into imports of semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment (SME), and related products to evaluate how those imports may impact national security.Continue Reading Who is Stacking the Chips: U.S. Commerce Department Launches Section 232 Investigation into Semiconductor Imports
On April 2, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) imposing global reciprocal tariffs (White House Fact Sheet). The EO drew enough parallels to the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act that Trump mentioned it in his Rose Garden announcement. The EO imposes a 10% baseline tariff on all imports to the United States beginning April 3, 2025.Continue Reading Blockading the Ports: U.S. Imposes 10% Global Tariff; Higher Reciprocal Tariff Rates by Country
UPDATE: On February 5, 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive order delaying the cancellation of de minimis until “adequate systems are in place to fully and expediently process and collect tariff revenue applicable”. Imports from China below the value of $800 will generally not be subject to the 10% tariff or Section 301 duties.Continue Reading The First Wave: U.S. Imposes Tariffs on Canada (or not?), Mexico (or not?), and China (well, yeah, probably so)
The wine industry faced significant challenges due to tariffs imposed by President Trump’s first administration. During the presidential campaign, and since his election on November 5, 2024, President Trump has made it clear that he will enact higher tariffs as a key part of the political agenda of his second administration. A few days ago, he nominated Jamieson Greer as his pick for U.S. Trade Representative as the nation’s top trade official, who served as chief of staff to Robert Lighthizer, then U.S. Trade Representative during Trump’s first term; if confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Mr. Greer is expected “to pursue an ambitious trade agenda.” This post highlights the history of Trump’s tariffs on wine, their effects, and what might be expected in his new term.Continue Reading The Impact of Trump’s Tariffs on the Wine Industry: Past and Future
On December 2, 2024, the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a new set of regulations targeting semiconductors manufacturing equipment (SME) and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips. The updates are a part of BIS’s ongoing efforts to target semiconductors in attempt to slow down China’s advancement of AI. In the race to artificial general intelligence, advanced-node semiconductors play an outsized role in a country or company’s ability to progress.Continue Reading The Persistence of (High Bandwidth) Memory: Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment and Korean Semiconductor Manufactures Face Harsher Restrictions Under New HBM Rules