From Tariffs to WTO Reform: The Next Era of Global Commerce

Sept. 16, 2025

Global trade is entering a period of transition as governments revisit tariffs, adopt new non-tariff measures and weigh reforms to international institutions. These shifts raise important questions about how the United States and its partners can adapt to a more competitive and multipolar world.

On Sept. 16, former U.K. minister of trade policy, Sir Conor Burns, joined Ambassador David Satterfield for a discussion on the changing landscape of global trade. The conversation addressed the renewed use of tariffs compared with other trade measures, prospects for reforming the World Trade Organization, and the long-term implications of the current U.S. trade approach. They also considered how the global trading system may evolve as U.S. economic influence adjusts to a changing international landscape.

Moderator

The Honorable David M. Satterfield
Director, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy; Janice and Robert McNair Chair in Public Policy; Former ambassador to Lebanon and Turkey

Featured Speaker

Sir Conor Burns is a leading authority on international trade and the transatlantic relationship. He spent 14 years in the U.K. House of Commons, serving in Treasury, Business and Energy, and as parliamentary private secretary to then-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. In 2019, he became minister for trade policy, advancing the U.K.’s post-Brexit trade agenda, and later served as minister of state for Northern Ireland. He was appointed special representative to the United States in 2022 and most recently served as the prime minister’s envoy for trade and investment, negotiating state-level agreements with Florida and Texas.

Burns chairs the Margaret Thatcher Centre, a U.K.-U.S. charity established with Lady Thatcher’s endorsement. He was knighted in 2023 and sworn into the Privy Council by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019. Educated by American Brothers of the Sacred Heart, he has a long-standing affinity for the United States and divides his time between London and Dallas, Texas.

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