United States trade policy has moved in recent years toward aggressive unilateralism. This volume provides the most comprehensive, coherent, and insightful analysis of this dramatic development. The essays collected here explain the legislative history of this policy as expressed in Section 301 and the more recent Super 301 and explore the political forces driving their adoption on Capitol Hill. The targeting of Japan, India, and Brazil by the administration using Super 301 powers is discussed, as are the reactions of those countries to this targeting. These American actions raise questions about the legality of such tariff retaliation under GATT rules and about America’s simultaneous support of multilateral talks at the Uruguay Round intended to reconstitute and revitalize the GATT.

A timely antidote to the unilateralist venom poisoning U.S. trade policy."- Martin Wolf, Financial Times
". . . an excellent, timely, and eminently readable analysis of the most controversial, current change in U.S. trade policy. . . . Neither Congressmen nor scholars can afford the luxury of not reading it."- T. N. Srinivasan, Yale University

". . . present[s] the most comprehensive analysis available on the 'best' alternative available option to multilateralism--and find[s] it grossly wanting."- Sylvia Ostry, University of Toronto

Jagdish Bhagwati is Arthur Lehman Professor of Economics and Professor of Political Science at Columbia University. Hugh T. Patrick is R. D. Calkins Professor of International Business and Director of the Center on Japanese Economy and Business at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.