Media advisory: International trade expert available to speak about WTO deal to help poor countries


LAWRENCE — Raj Bhala, associate dean for International and Comparative Law and Rice Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas School of Law, is available to speak with media about the recent World Trade Organization agreement on international trade and poor countries. Bhala, an expert in international trade law, has written extensively on the topic of international trade, recently publishing a treatise on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and a series of articles on efforts to fight terrorism through trade.

On Dec. 6, the World Trade Organization struck a deal to encourage global trade with the world’s poorest countries to boost economies in both poor and wealthy nations. The agreement is the first such deal in nearly 20 years. The negotiating process included disagreements between India and the United States regarding issues of agriculture and food safety, among others. The agricultural questions hold importance not only for national economies, but also agricultural states such as Kansas.

Bhala will take a lecture tour of India in 2014 to discuss trade and related topics. He also has closely studied the Doha Round, the World Trade Organization negotiations among 150 countries to fight terrorism in Islamic countries through trade.

To schedule an interview, contact Mike Krings at 785-864-8860 or mkrings@ku.edu.

Biography: Professor Raj Bhala has a global reputation in the scholarship of international trade law, having lectured around the world and published an acclaimed treatise, “Modern GATT Law,” a leading textbook; “International Trade Law” and more than two dozen articles. His latest book, “Understanding Islamic Law (Shari’a),” was published by LexisNexis. Bhala practiced international banking law at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York before entering academia and currently serves as a foreign legal consultant to Heenan Blaikie LLP, Canada. He has worked in 25 countries, including Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh and Turkey.

 

Mon, 12/09/2013

author

Mike Krings

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