Let them eat (American) steak
Forget the stalled Doha round of international trade talks. The biggest trade story of the last several years will happen tomorrow, when the Japanese government is expected to announce that it will resume imports of U.S. beef. Combined with record high oil prices that are helping drive demand for ethanol, this decision means that U.S. farmers and ranchers are ...
Forget the stalled Doha round of international trade talks. The biggest trade story of the last several years will happen tomorrow, when the Japanese government is expected to announce that it will resume imports of U.S. beef. Combined with record high oil prices that are helping drive demand for ethanol, this decision means that U.S. farmers and ranchers are having a pretty good summer. Japan is traditionally the largest importer of U.S. beef, but has banned imports since 2003, when bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) was found in Washington state. The U.S. had threatened to smack Japan with $2.7 billion in sanctions if the ban on U.S. beef was not lifted by mid-August.
More from Foreign Policy


Lessons for the Next War
Twelve experts weigh in on how to prevent, deter, and—if necessary—fight the next conflict.


It’s High Time to Prepare for Russia’s Collapse
Not planning for the possibility of disintegration betrays a dangerous lack of imagination.


Turkey Is Sending Cold War-Era Cluster Bombs to Ukraine
The artillery-fired cluster munitions could be lethal to Russian troops—and Ukrainian civilians.


Congrats, You’re a Member of Congress. Now Listen Up.
Some brief foreign-policy advice for the newest members of the U.S. legislature.