United States Export Controls
Summary
This paper tries to give a critical review of the present day export control system within the United States of America.In doing so,the paper begins with a short introductory section where the whole aspect of export controls and the rationale for such controls has been introduced.Included in this section is also the extent and rationale for export controls in the US such as the need to safeguard the country’s national security,trade interests and foreign policy objectives.The introductory section is closely followed by a short overview of the state of export controls in this country.Of major importance here are the various measures and Acts governing export control in the US.Such Acts as the Export Administration Act (EAA), and the International Emergency Economics Powers Act (IEEPA) among other regulatory authorities have been briefly highlighted.After this brief overview,the main body of this paper is introduced where a number of Export control Acts within the US have been deeply evaluated and discussed.The extent to which each of these Acts promotes or serves as a hinderance to the development of the export trade industry within the US has also been discussed in this section.The final section of this paper gives a conclusive discussion of the implications of the negative effects of export controls in the US. A discursive elaboration has also been done on a number of reform proposals and recommendations to cushion the US export trade industry from the effects of export control measures,regulations and different licensing systems.Some of the issues discussed here include the need to streamline the licensing processes and procedures under new export control regulations.Harmonizing the lists of controllable items and holding consultations with multilateral export regulations regimes has also been fronted as an alternative to the present day export control system in the U.S.
Introduction
Export controls can be defined as the measures adopted by the governing authorities of particular countries with the aim of attaining certain public policies and trade objectives. These measures are basically aimed at attaining the sole objective of supervising the flow of export products from particular countries. According to United States Bureau Regulation (2009),the aspect of export controls in the present day world has often taken the forms of export bans, restrictive licensing, quotas and stiff taxation among other forms. Most countries adopt export control measures and systems with the aim of meeting both economic and non-economic objectives. The US government has been in the forefront in regulating export products ever since the founding of this country (Root,Liebman,& Thomsen,2006). Export controls in this country have been done with the aim of keeping certain items away from the hands of perceived enemy destinations as well as to cushion certain items believed to be in short supply. In this country, export control systems have largely centered on limiting the flow of advanced technology-related exports capable of being used in compromising the state of national security in the country. Additionally, subsequent U.S governments have also adopted different export control measures in line with the country’s foreign policy and in order to safeguard the country’s commitments to international treaties. The US government has also imposed export restrictions on particular commodities basically categorized as being in “short supply”. Some products included in this category include petroleum related products such as crude oil as well as unfinished cedar, western red trees and exporting horses by water (Christoff,2009). There have been widespread debates concerning striking a balance between export competitiveness and national security within the United States of America. This has been necessitated by the fact that government authorities in the US have emphasized the importance of gaining control