The Geneva Trade Platform is thrilled to invite you to join us at the Villa Barton on the 15th of September for a fascinating discussion between Professor Craig VanGrasstek of Harvard and the Former Director of the WTO's Services and Investment Division, Hamid Mamdouh.

Beginning from 10:30, Prof. VanGrasstek and Hamid Mamdouh will join our MC Tom Miles for a discussion of the current trade turbulence in the context of trade wars past, present and perhaps future. Inspired by the recent publication of Prof. VanGrasstek's new book On Trade War, this session promises to be a lively discussion of use to anyone looking to better understand this unique moment in trade history.

Then at 12:00, following a networking coffee break, Professor Gabrielle Marceau and her co-author Maria George will showcase their own new work, Assistants in International Dispute Settlement with the help of discussant Prof. Joost Pauwelyn.

Speaker Biographies

Craig VanGrasstek

“Craig VanGrasstek,” according to The Economist (January 22, 2000), “keeps a sharp eye on the politics of trade.” His new book On Trade War (Cambridge University Press, 2026) examines the theory and practice of trade wars from the ancient world to modern times. This follows Trade and America Leadership: The Paradoxes of Power and Wealth from Alexander Hamilton to Donald Trump (Cambridge University Press, 2019), which reviewed the shifting place of trade policy in the grand strategy of the United States. He also wrote The History and Future of the World Trade Organization (WTO, 2013), as well as numerous other books, articles, and monographs.

Prof. VanGrasstek taught courses on trade policy at the Harvard Kennedy School from 2000 to 2023, having also taught international economics at the American University School of International Service (1994-2000) and literature at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service (2006-2009), and has lectured in the diplomatic academies of the United States, the United Kingdom, and ten other countries.

He received his doctorate in political science from Princeton University (1995), and a Master of Science in Foreign Service degree from, Georgetown University (1983). He has provided advisory, analytical, and training services to numerous international organizations, national governments, and private firms in over four dozen countries.

Hamid Mamdouh

Hamid Mamdouh is a Senior Counsel at King & Spalding LLP and former Director of the Trade in Services and Investment Division of the WTO. Prior to that he was a Senior Counsellor in the Services Division and was the Secretary of the WTO Council for Trade in Services since the establishment of the WTO in 1995.  During that time, he was also responsible for legal affairs in the area of Trade in Services.  

During the Uruguay Round negotiations his responsibilities included legal matters relating to the negotiation and the drafting of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). His previous positions in the GATT include:  Assistant to the Deputy Director-General of the GATT and legal advisor on GATT dispute settlement.  

Prior to joining the WTO Secretariat he served as a trade negotiator with the diplomatic service of Egypt.