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Jordan made substantial market access commitments as part of its WTO membership negotiations. Jordan has low average tariffs with single or two digits rate and ad valorem-only duties with some exceptions where specific duties apply. Customs standards in Jordan were streamlined in accordance with WTO rules. Jordan confirmed in its accession to the WTO that free zones or export processing zones would be fully subject to the coverage of the commitments taken in the protocol of accession. The purpose of this article is to examine and analyse Jordan's current imports and tariffs regime.

A strong dispute resolution mechanism is a core component of FTAs which must provide a reliable and stable venue to address meritorious claims and deliver enforceable results and demonstrates the commitments of each government to comply with the contractual obligations. Without this commitment, businesses will be reluctant to risk capital. FTAs require legal foundation incentivizing stability, transparency, and compliance with obligations.

In the area of dispute resolution, the U.S. FTAs with Arab countries share some commonalities. However, the US – JO FTA clearly differs from other U.S. FTAs with Arab countries. Areas of difference include treatment of perishable goods, appeal, panel report, and implementation of panel report. The dispute settlement mechanism in the US – JO FTA can be improved in several concrete ways.

The purpose of this article is to elucidate the protection of intellectual property under Sharia law. The article approaches this subject not only historically but also analytically. In particular, the article elaborates on the legal concepts that may provide a basis for intellectual property protection in Sharia by analyzing the present-day challenges of incorporating new types of intellectual property rights under Sharia. The article also examines the reasons for the lack of sufficient protection for intellectual property rights in Arab countries considering that Sharia recognizes these rights in some form.

The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) is generally regarded as a success story for economic integration in Arab countries. The idea of regional integration gained ground when the GCC Charter was signed. The Charter envisioned a closer economic relationship between member states. Although economic integration among GCC member states is an ambitious step in the right direction, there are gaps and challenges ahead. The best way to address the gaps and challenges that exist in formulating integration processes in the GCC is to start with a clear set of rules and put the necessary mechanisms in place. Integration attempts must also exhibit a high level of commitment in order to deflect dynamics of disintegration that have all too often frustrated meaningful integration in Arab countries. At present the rules of GCC regarding governance structure, dispute resolution mechanism, relationship with the WTO, and accession of new members are not detailed. If the GCC can address these issues, it could become an economic powerhouse within Arab countries and even Asia.

Section II gives background to the inclusion of environment and labor in the US-JO FTA, and briefly describes the divergent views for including or not including these issues in trade agreements. Section III analyzes the environment provisions of the US-JO FTA. It points out the inadequacies in the environment provisions. This section further points out the differences between the environment provisions of the US-JO FTA and the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation. Section IV reviews the labor provisions of the US-JO FTA. In addition, section IV explains the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation. Section V discusses recent FTAs concluded between the U.S. and Arab countries such as Bahrain and Oman. Section VI presents some methods which have the potential of finding a common ground between free trade, environment and labor rights for future trade agreements between the U.S. and Arab countries. Concluding observations are in section VII.