ISDS Case Map
geopolitics
Trump is using tariffs and trade threats to bully other countries in order to maintain US global power. Even though existing trade rules were shaped by US corporations, recently this hasn’t been enough to guarantee US dominance, so Trump is turning to brute force.
A big reason for signing a trade agreement is to get certainty on tariff levels, and if the U.S. can raise tariff levels above the bound rate for geopolitical reasons, that certainty is lost to some degree and the trade agreement is much less valuable.
India’s flurry of pacts signed with various countries may not boost our trade all that much, but these seem designed to act as an insurance policy against trade fragmentation caused by the policies of US President Donald Trump.
The US critical minerals deals highlight the deepening turn to soft-law instruments in economic diplomacy. But they also coexist with binding trade agreements.
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A fair pact will elude India if US bases its negotiations on deals with Malaysia and Cambodia.
Trump’s consolidation with Silicon Valley signals a reconfiguration of digital political economy, where US trade policy, technological dominance, and data governance converge.
China complained to Malaysia and Cambodia about the trade deals they signed with the US last month, underscoring the delicate balance countries must strike in the rivalry between Beijing and Washington.
Foreign countries want to take a cut of the proceeds from digital services provided by American companies, and passed their own laws to do so... and now the US is using trade negotiations to pressure those governments into rolling them back.
Belgium fears that using the assets would leave it exposed to Russian legal action. This is a major concern for Belgium, which has a bilateral investment treaty with Russia, first signed in 1989.
