Law of International Trade ASSIGNMENT QUESTION

Please read the following statement:

‘We are ready for the great multi-dimensional game of chess in which we engage in more than one negotiation at once and we are limbering up to use nerves and muscles and instincts that this country has not had to use for half a century. We will reach out to the rest of the Commonwealth, which now has some of the fastest growing economies in the world …

It was fantastic at the recent Africa submit (Commonwealth submit) to see how many wanted to turn that great family of nations into a free trade zone … we will engage with our old friends and partners – Australia, New Zealand and Canada – on whom we deliberately turned our backs in the early 1970s (when the UK joined the European Union).

We will get going with our friends in America, and I share the optimism of Donald Trump … the United States already buys one fifth of everything we export’

Extract from Boris Johnson’s speech in Greenwich: 3rd February 2020. (Available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-speech-in-greenwich-3-february-2020)

Required:

Critically discuss and analyse the practicality for the UK in entering into an RTA (Regional or Preferential Trade Agreements) with the Commonwealth countries, including any potential complication. Your discussions should also examine the feasibility of entering into an MFN (Most-Favoured-Nation) agreement with the Commonwealth and the United States under the GATT 1994 following the UK’s departure from the European Union.

ASSESSMENT GUIDANCE

In terms of structure – you need to provide a proper introduction, contents and conclusion as part of your answer. Your ability to achieve good grades may be affected if you failed to include a paragraph on introduction and conclusion.

a. Your answer must not be descriptive (ie: providing a purely descriptive account of the WTO dispute settlement processes) and effort must be taken to relate it to the statement. It is imperative that the purpose of the assignment is not to write ‘all you know’ about the topic / subject area as it may affect your ability in achieving good

(100 marks)

grades. Therefore, please ensure you have A precise understanding of the requirements for this essay question.

2. Discuss the relevant case laws and statute where appropriate. Please ensure the name of the cases are quoted in full. For example, Salomon v Salomon and Company.
3. You may wish to use the ‘IRAC’ formula in forming your discussions. ‘I’ – IDENTIFY the issue; ‘R’ – Explain the RULES’ surrounding the relevant area / issue; ‘A’ – APPLY cases to support and APPLY relevant legal principles to the issue(s); ‘C’ – CONCLUSION to the issue. This can be used repeatedly in addressing the issues for this essay question.
4. Ensure that the essay is well-presented, referenced using Harvard and that it includes a Harvard reference list at the end. Please observe good academic practice as well – Do not use abbreviations such as ‘e.g’, ‘i.e’ or simplify words such as ‘because’ to ‘b’cos’ or ‘and’ to ‘&’. Please use upper and lower cases appropriately. Please use proper paragraphing / paraphrasing, and do not use and / or quote your lecturer’s name as means in illustrating examples in support of the legal principles.