Mona Paulsen
@monapaulsen.bsky.social
Assistant Professor in International Economic Law, LSE Law School. Specialisation in international trade law and economic security, in addition to research and teaching interests in international investment law, international development, and IPE.
Pinned
Mona Paulsen
@monapaulsen.bsky.social
· Aug 12
Happy to share my publication, The Past, Present, and Potential of Economic Security, in 50 Yale Journal of International Law 222 (Summer 2025), now available on Hein Online (DM if you cannot access through your local libraries). My thanks to the student editors who worked hard on this publication.
I mean…did they?
The US expected its global trade partners to take Trump's tariffs lying down. They did the opposite — and they're gaining ground
Trump’s Trade Moves Are Making Everyone Else Great Again
The US expected its global trade partners to take Washington’s tariffs lying down. They did the opposite — and they're gaining ground.
bloom.bg
February 14, 2026 at 5:16 PM
I mean…did they?
The slow growth of broad-based commitments to Trump’s ecosec agenda may reveal that, while Trump certainly directs government power in a chaotic way, repeated endorsement of this authority by trade partners (under the threat of tariffs) has begun to formalise "America First" global governance.
February 14, 2026 at 3:30 PM
The slow growth of broad-based commitments to Trump’s ecosec agenda may reveal that, while Trump certainly directs government power in a chaotic way, repeated endorsement of this authority by trade partners (under the threat of tariffs) has begun to formalise "America First" global governance.
Reposted by Mona Paulsen
IMF discussing electricity tariffs revisions with Pakistan reut.rs/4bUNhu5
IMF discussing electricity tariffs revisions with Pakistan
The International Monetary Fund is discussing proposed electricity tariff revisions with Pakistan authorities, the fund said in a statement to Reuters on Saturday, adding that the burden of the revisions should not fall on middle‑ or lower‑income households.
"The ongoing discussions with the authorities will assess whether the proposed tariff revisions are consistent with these commitments and evaluate their potential impact on macroeconomic stability, including inflation," it said in its statement.
reut.rs
February 13, 2026 at 11:30 PM
IMF discussing electricity tariffs revisions with Pakistan reut.rs/4bUNhu5
Reposted by Mona Paulsen
China to implement zero tariffs on imports from 53 African countries
https://asia.nikkei.com/spotlight/belt-and-road/china-to-implement-zero-tariffs-on-imports-from-53-african-countries
https://asia.nikkei.com/spotlight/belt-and-road/china-to-implement-zero-tariffs-on-imports-from-53-african-countries
China to implement zero tariffs on imports from 53 African countries
New measure to expand African exports to the country will start on May 1
asia.nikkei.com
February 14, 2026 at 8:25 AM
China to implement zero tariffs on imports from 53 African countries
https://asia.nikkei.com/spotlight/belt-and-road/china-to-implement-zero-tariffs-on-imports-from-53-african-countries
https://asia.nikkei.com/spotlight/belt-and-road/china-to-implement-zero-tariffs-on-imports-from-53-african-countries
Reposted by Mona Paulsen
US Sec of State Rubio skips Ukraine meeting with European leaders in Munich. He canceled attendance at last minute in move that EU official calls ‘insane’
www.ft.com/content/fdd6...
www.ft.com/content/fdd6...
Rubio skips Ukraine meeting with European leaders in Munich
US secretary of state cancels attendance at last minute in move that EU official calls ‘insane’
www.ft.com
February 13, 2026 at 9:56 PM
US Sec of State Rubio skips Ukraine meeting with European leaders in Munich. He canceled attendance at last minute in move that EU official calls ‘insane’
www.ft.com/content/fdd6...
www.ft.com/content/fdd6...
Reducing reliance on fossil fuels is the clear thesis. I’d add that trade could and should remain a part of the EU/UK green energy push…
Which may mean more not less coordination with China to advance wind and solar generation…
And it’s also a good focal point for talks with other open economies.
Which may mean more not less coordination with China to advance wind and solar generation…
And it’s also a good focal point for talks with other open economies.
"Reducing reliance on fossil fuels looks like Europe’s best shot at saving its domestic manufacturing and stopping other governments from pushing it around."
Outstanding article in The Wall Street Journal. www.wsj.com/business/ene...
Outstanding article in The Wall Street Journal. www.wsj.com/business/ene...
February 14, 2026 at 1:26 PM
Reducing reliance on fossil fuels is the clear thesis. I’d add that trade could and should remain a part of the EU/UK green energy push…
Which may mean more not less coordination with China to advance wind and solar generation…
And it’s also a good focal point for talks with other open economies.
Which may mean more not less coordination with China to advance wind and solar generation…
And it’s also a good focal point for talks with other open economies.
Reposted by Mona Paulsen
Rubio just made a speech to the European defense community in Munich that did not mention Ukraine. Or democracy. Or US business deals with Russia. Or the administration's plans to support the European far right. But there were lots of nice words about our common civilization.
February 14, 2026 at 9:56 AM
Rubio just made a speech to the European defense community in Munich that did not mention Ukraine. Or democracy. Or US business deals with Russia. Or the administration's plans to support the European far right. But there were lots of nice words about our common civilization.
Reposted by Mona Paulsen
Roses are red, violets are blue,
If you don't agree to those tariff conditions,
You better pay up billions in US energy acquisitions.
My heart, its yours, through emergency and wars,
You must complement our economic security
Or your industries will surely fade away into obscurity.
...
If you don't agree to those tariff conditions,
You better pay up billions in US energy acquisitions.
My heart, its yours, through emergency and wars,
You must complement our economic security
Or your industries will surely fade away into obscurity.
...
February 13, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Roses are red, violets are blue,
If you don't agree to those tariff conditions,
You better pay up billions in US energy acquisitions.
My heart, its yours, through emergency and wars,
You must complement our economic security
Or your industries will surely fade away into obscurity.
...
If you don't agree to those tariff conditions,
You better pay up billions in US energy acquisitions.
My heart, its yours, through emergency and wars,
You must complement our economic security
Or your industries will surely fade away into obscurity.
...
Roses are red, violets are blue,
If you don't agree to those tariff conditions,
You better pay up billions in US energy acquisitions.
My heart, its yours, through emergency and wars,
You must complement our economic security
Or your industries will surely fade away into obscurity.
...
If you don't agree to those tariff conditions,
You better pay up billions in US energy acquisitions.
My heart, its yours, through emergency and wars,
You must complement our economic security
Or your industries will surely fade away into obscurity.
...
February 13, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Roses are red, violets are blue,
If you don't agree to those tariff conditions,
You better pay up billions in US energy acquisitions.
My heart, its yours, through emergency and wars,
You must complement our economic security
Or your industries will surely fade away into obscurity.
...
If you don't agree to those tariff conditions,
You better pay up billions in US energy acquisitions.
My heart, its yours, through emergency and wars,
You must complement our economic security
Or your industries will surely fade away into obscurity.
...
No point giving oxygen to every threat.
USMCA review has begun. Canada is free to pursue all trade agreements. Canada must notify USMCA partners in the event it seeks a free trade area with China, and accept potential bifurcation of the existing USMCA as a cost to it.
That's it.
USMCA review has begun. Canada is free to pursue all trade agreements. Canada must notify USMCA partners in the event it seeks a free trade area with China, and accept potential bifurcation of the existing USMCA as a cost to it.
That's it.
Trump, in the middle of his latest unhinged Truth Social screed, claims that if Canada makes a trade deal with China, "the first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup."
February 10, 2026 at 2:44 PM
No point giving oxygen to every threat.
USMCA review has begun. Canada is free to pursue all trade agreements. Canada must notify USMCA partners in the event it seeks a free trade area with China, and accept potential bifurcation of the existing USMCA as a cost to it.
That's it.
USMCA review has begun. Canada is free to pursue all trade agreements. Canada must notify USMCA partners in the event it seeks a free trade area with China, and accept potential bifurcation of the existing USMCA as a cost to it.
That's it.
Growing commitments to complement US coercive practices seem to be an ever-growing attempt by the US to legitimise its actions.
Are these commitments puffery or a worrying binding of many countries to a US neo-royal techno-imperialist plan?
www.linkedin.com/posts/mppaul...
Are these commitments puffery or a worrying binding of many countries to a US neo-royal techno-imperialist plan?
www.linkedin.com/posts/mppaul...
At a time when states must think long-term and develop strategies for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, driven by a plethora of stakeholders and technological advancements, what are we seeing?… | Mona...
At a time when states must think long-term and develop strategies for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, driven by a plethora of stakeholders and technological advancements, what are we seeing? Neo-roy...
www.linkedin.com
February 10, 2026 at 8:36 AM
Growing commitments to complement US coercive practices seem to be an ever-growing attempt by the US to legitimise its actions.
Are these commitments puffery or a worrying binding of many countries to a US neo-royal techno-imperialist plan?
www.linkedin.com/posts/mppaul...
Are these commitments puffery or a worrying binding of many countries to a US neo-royal techno-imperialist plan?
www.linkedin.com/posts/mppaul...
If there are efforts to grant special and preferential (not equal) treatment to meet the development needs of advanced economies, will they continue to grant equivalent preferences to developing economies? Or will we see a new era of dependency and ordering that cloaks protection as public goods?
February 9, 2026 at 5:45 PM
If there are efforts to grant special and preferential (not equal) treatment to meet the development needs of advanced economies, will they continue to grant equivalent preferences to developing economies? Or will we see a new era of dependency and ordering that cloaks protection as public goods?
Did Bad Bunny just give the American Society of International Law its theme for the year?
The breadth of the “Americas”
Not sure an academic conference can bring joy. But I'd like to think it could.
The breadth of the “Americas”
Not sure an academic conference can bring joy. But I'd like to think it could.
February 9, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Did Bad Bunny just give the American Society of International Law its theme for the year?
The breadth of the “Americas”
Not sure an academic conference can bring joy. But I'd like to think it could.
The breadth of the “Americas”
Not sure an academic conference can bring joy. But I'd like to think it could.
Reposted by Mona Paulsen
U.K. Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle is heading to Brussels to dissuade the European Commission from shutting Britain out of its proposed “Made in Europe” initiative.
Britain’s trade chief races to Brussels to avoid ‘Made in Europe’ shutout
U.K. officials fear that planned industry act could lock British firms out of key European supply chains.
www.politico.eu
February 6, 2026 at 8:43 AM
U.K. Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle is heading to Brussels to dissuade the European Commission from shutting Britain out of its proposed “Made in Europe” initiative.
Reposted by Mona Paulsen
The end of nuclear arms control ft.trib.al/WDwh6w7 | opinion
The end of nuclear arms control
Expiry of the New Start treaty makes the world a much more dangerous place
ft.trib.al
February 8, 2026 at 11:11 AM
The end of nuclear arms control ft.trib.al/WDwh6w7 | opinion
Reposted by Mona Paulsen
Trump regime’s latest effort to whitewash history and control narrative: all State department posts on X made before Trump took office in 2025 will be removed. That includes accounts for US embassies, missions, ambassadors, department bureaus, programs. www.npr.org/2026/02/07/n...
State Department will delete X posts from before Trump returned to office
The policy change orders the removal of any post made by official State Department accounts on X before President Trump returned to office in 2025.
www.npr.org
February 8, 2026 at 5:32 AM
Trump regime’s latest effort to whitewash history and control narrative: all State department posts on X made before Trump took office in 2025 will be removed. That includes accounts for US embassies, missions, ambassadors, department bureaus, programs. www.npr.org/2026/02/07/n...
Reposted by Mona Paulsen
very good rejoinder to a pretty shoddy and motivated piece. my main comment though is that i would not concede the idea that roosevelt — who essentially coined “liberalism” as americans have understood it — was an “anti-liberal”
Useful, clarifying examination of Trumpism from @nilsgilman.bsky.social, focusing on its foundational elements of "extractive" capitalism, white nationalism, "the systematic dismantling of labor protections," abuses of power, self dealing, and corruption:
nilsgilman.substack.com/p/the-execut...
nilsgilman.substack.com/p/the-execut...
The Executive Fetish
Why Moyn and Goldsmith's Roosevelt-Trump analogy fails
nilsgilman.substack.com
February 7, 2026 at 4:02 PM
very good rejoinder to a pretty shoddy and motivated piece. my main comment though is that i would not concede the idea that roosevelt — who essentially coined “liberalism” as americans have understood it — was an “anti-liberal”
What strikes me most today in the news about coalitions, aside from the lack of details, is how governments continue to lend credence to what seem to be contradictory US policies. In letting the US lead global projects, we shift further away from very real questions about climate and inequality.
February 5, 2026 at 2:17 PM
What strikes me most today in the news about coalitions, aside from the lack of details, is how governments continue to lend credence to what seem to be contradictory US policies. In letting the US lead global projects, we shift further away from very real questions about climate and inequality.
What do we know from the EO on Critical Minerals?
Not much.
The EO suggests the problem is overbearing federal regulation, leading the government to pursue smarter regulation...but I do not see that as the goal.
Not much.
The EO suggests the problem is overbearing federal regulation, leading the government to pursue smarter regulation...but I do not see that as the goal.
February 5, 2026 at 8:06 AM
What do we know from the EO on Critical Minerals?
Not much.
The EO suggests the problem is overbearing federal regulation, leading the government to pursue smarter regulation...but I do not see that as the goal.
Not much.
The EO suggests the problem is overbearing federal regulation, leading the government to pursue smarter regulation...but I do not see that as the goal.
I mean there are other authorities available, sure, but some do not suit the stated objectives of the current IEEPA tariffs and most require investigation into a specific industry….so I wouldn’t say we’d see an immediate switcheroo.
Otherwise IEEPA would never have into play to begin with.
Otherwise IEEPA would never have into play to begin with.
Trump already has the ability to impose replacement tariffs to make up nearly three-quarters of the tax revenue the Supreme Court may strike down as illegal.
Think The High Court Will Save You From Trump’s 12-Figure Import Taxes? Think Again.
Trump already has the ability to impose replacement tariffs to make up nearly three-quarters of the tax revenue the Supreme Court may strike down as illegal.
www.huffpost.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:00 PM
I mean there are other authorities available, sure, but some do not suit the stated objectives of the current IEEPA tariffs and most require investigation into a specific industry….so I wouldn’t say we’d see an immediate switcheroo.
Otherwise IEEPA would never have into play to begin with.
Otherwise IEEPA would never have into play to begin with.
Again…
I completely disagree with the framing of coercion as pragmatism.
I completely disagree with the framing of coercion as pragmatism.
Framing mineral price volatility as a security concern signals a shift toward using trade policy to stabilize prices and sustain industrial capacity, writes @minerals.csis.org.
https://www.csis.org/analysis/new-executive-order-ties-us-critical-minerals-security-global-partnerships
https://www.csis.org/analysis/new-executive-order-ties-us-critical-minerals-security-global-partnerships
New Executive Order Ties U.S. Critical Minerals Security to Global Partnerships
A new executive order makes international cooperation central to U.S. critical minerals security, targeting processed minerals where China dominates. It pairs allied supply agreements with trade tools...
www.csis.org
February 4, 2026 at 7:04 AM
Again…
I completely disagree with the framing of coercion as pragmatism.
I completely disagree with the framing of coercion as pragmatism.
Few short years ago, these kinds of actions would render a country ineligible for tariff preference programmes by the US.
February 3, 2026 at 11:03 AM
Few short years ago, these kinds of actions would render a country ineligible for tariff preference programmes by the US.
Reposted by Mona Paulsen
I have questions about the legal infrastructure concerning the US Government's price-supporting mechanisms and its ability to control volatility in world markets.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Trump to Launch $12 Billion Critical Mineral Stockpile to Blunt Reliance on China
President Donald Trump is set to launch a strategic critical-minerals stockpile with $12 billion in seed money, a bid to insulate manufacturers from supply shocks as the US works to slash its reliance...
www.bloomberg.com
February 2, 2026 at 3:27 PM
I have questions about the legal infrastructure concerning the US Government's price-supporting mechanisms and its ability to control volatility in world markets.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
I have questions about the legal infrastructure concerning the US Government's price-supporting mechanisms and its ability to control volatility in world markets.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Trump to Launch $12 Billion Critical Mineral Stockpile to Blunt Reliance on China
President Donald Trump is set to launch a strategic critical-minerals stockpile with $12 billion in seed money, a bid to insulate manufacturers from supply shocks as the US works to slash its reliance...
www.bloomberg.com
February 2, 2026 at 3:27 PM
I have questions about the legal infrastructure concerning the US Government's price-supporting mechanisms and its ability to control volatility in world markets.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
“General Motors announced Thursday it will eliminate approximately 500 jobs at its Oshawa plant …GM rep Wright denied any connection to US tariffs—and the associated persistent threats by President Donald Trump against Canada.”
www.automotiveworld.com/news/gm-cuts...
www.automotiveworld.com/news/gm-cuts...
GM cuts 500 Canada jobs, moves production back to US | Automotive World
GM has rejected any connection between the cuts and US trade policy, even as production gets moved back into the US. By Stewart Burnett
www.automotiveworld.com
February 1, 2026 at 8:12 AM
“General Motors announced Thursday it will eliminate approximately 500 jobs at its Oshawa plant …GM rep Wright denied any connection to US tariffs—and the associated persistent threats by President Donald Trump against Canada.”
www.automotiveworld.com/news/gm-cuts...
www.automotiveworld.com/news/gm-cuts...