reciprocity, and shaming.
Collective action occurs when businesses work collectively to strengthen their resources and achieve a
shared goal. In February 2018, the UN Conference on Trade and Development Secretary-General argued that
collective action can be one of the most effective methods for protecting international trade in the current
global climate. Due to recent trade restructuring from the United States and the United Kingdom (pending its
withdrawal from the EU), collective action was promoted as a way to “harness energy that will not fragment
the [international trade] system” (UNCTAD, 2018). By leveraging nations to defend “rules-based multilateral
trading systems as a force for creating inclusive prosperity,” the Secretary-General promoted collective action
as the primary way to assure continued international peace and economic viability for generations to come.
Reciprocity is central to international trade and at the core of CIL. It happens most commonly in international
business exchanges as countries lower import duties, or other trade barriers, in exchange for mutual
arrangements extended by the other country. Reciprocity can be beneficial to the nations involved, or it can be
punitive. In 2016, presidential candidate Donald Trump campaigned for an international trade climate that
would produce fairer options for the United States. Since his inauguration, he has increasingly pressured the
global community by imposing taxes on imports from Canada, China, the EU, and Mexico, each of which has
retaliated in reciprocity. In 2018, China accused the United States of launching the “largest trade war in
economic history,” of which the final global impacts remain largely unknown (BBC, 2018).
Shaming is a deliberate attempt to negatively impact a state, regime, or governmental leader’s reputation by
publicizing and targeting violations of international laws, including customary norms, treaty breaches, and
violations of organizational expectations (Gopalan & Fuller, 2014, p. 75). However, shaming is not viewed as
particularly effective without more concrete measures to accompany it (Klymak, 2017). A recent research study
conducted by the Department of Economics in Dublin, Ireland, found that there is no evidence to suggest that
there has been a decrease in the imports of goods to the United States from countries where foreign goods
are likely produced by child and forced labor. Despite media coverage and the International Labour
Organization’s coverage that routinely shames certain nations for producing goods by child or forced labor,
those goods are nonetheless regularly imported for international sale.
Assessment Questions
1. What is International law?
2. The following are clauses in the U.S. Constitution that relate to international law.
a.
Treaty Clause.
b.
Foreign Commerce Clause.
c.
Both a and b.
d.
Neither a nor b.
3. Explain the European Union.
4. What is the Doctrine of Sovereign Immunity?
5. The UN Security Council is made up of:
a.
5 members and 10 countries.
b.
10 members and 5 countries.
c.
10 members and 10 countries.
d.
5 members and 5 countries.
148
Chapter 13 International Law
This OpenStax book is available for free at http://cnx.org/content/col30149/1.5