Book Review of 'Antitrust in a World of Interrelated Economies: The Interplay between Antitrust and Trade Policies in the US and the EEC,' by Mario Marques Mendes

Abstract

Does the protection and enhancement of national economic interests in international trade conflict with antitrust goals of promoting competition? This question may seem peculiar since presumably both trade and antitrust policies seek to serve national interests. But, as Mr. Mendes, the author of Antitrust in a World of Interrelated Economies, points out, the ends sought by a nation's international economic policies can be and often are at cross-purposes with those of its antitrust laws. In fact the protection of a nation's industries from certain practices of foreign competitors frequently results in the reduction of competition. This raises the question of whether the benefits of certain trade policies outweigh their costs when measured by antitrust concerns.What follows is an overview of what I consider are the most important issues and critical themes underlying Mr. Mendes' book. Though Mr. Mendes does not offer much in the way of solutions through his comparison of the United States and the European Economic Community, he highlights many of the problems. However, the reader is often left with a wish for a richer theoretical framework with which to contemplate the issues Mr. Mendes raises. Furthermore, familiarity with the different areas discussed helps considerably in following the details of Mr. Mendes' descriptions of the phenomena he addresses. Nevertheless the book can serve as a useful resource for those individuals who are examining these issues for the first time. Mr. Mendes' book covers considerable ground and though more analysis along with the reporting of events, laws and judicial opinions would have been desirable, there is a considerable compendium of important quotes and cites to significant literature on every topic he addresses.