-
1 month ago | 
lexology.com | Karyn A. Booth |Francesca M.S. Guerrero |David Schwartz |Samir D. Varma |Scott Diamond
Key Notes: The USTR issued a determination and report in January 2025 finding that China’s acts, policies, and practices of in the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors burden or restrict U.S. commerce and are actionable under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. The USTR is proposing actions that could include significant port service fees and restrictions on services to promote the transport of U.S. goods on U.S. vessels.
-
Jan 13, 2025 | 
medium.com | Samir D. Varma
Samir Varma·Follow6 min read·--The nature of consciousness has puzzled philosophers and scientists for millennia. How does the firing of neurons — mere physical objects following the laws of physics — give rise to our subjective experience of being alive and aware? This is what philosopher David Chalmers famously called the “hard problem” of consciousness. But what if the hard problem isn’t actually hard? What if it only seems hard because we’re thinking about it backwards?
-
Dec 10, 2024 | 
medium.com | Samir D. Varma
Samir Varma·Follow3 min read·--Welcome to my first post! As we await the March 2025 release of “The Science of Free Will” (https://amzn.to/4aMQJD1), I’ll be exploring how physics shapes everything from consciousness to artificial intelligence.
-
Apr 26, 2024 | 
lexblog.com | Francesca M.S. Guerrero |Samir D. Varma |Aaron Mandelbaum
On April 26, 2024, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a final rule introducing the new License Exception MED that enables delivery of humanitarian medical devices to the citizens of Russia, Belarus, and the Crimea region of Ukraine, and the occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. This license exception is an effort to formalize the U.S. policy of authorizing the export of medical devices to support civilian populaces.
-
Apr 19, 2024 | 
lexblog.com | Francesca M.S. Guerrero |Samir D. Varma |Aaron Mandelbaum
On April 18, 2024, the Departments of Commerce and the Treasury announced combined export control restrictions and economic sanctions against Iran for its attach on Israel on April 13, 2024. These actions are intended “to degrade and disrupt key aspects of Iran’s malign activity, including its UAV [Unmanned Aerial Vehicles] program and the revenue the regime generates to support its terrorism” and to further restrict Iran’s access to commercial grade microelectronics.
-
Apr 19, 2024 | 
lexology.com | Francesca M.S. Guerrero |Scott King |Samir D. Varma |Aaron Mandelbaum
On April 18, 2024, the Departments of Commerce and the Treasury announced combined export control restrictions and economic sanctions against Iran for its attack on Israel on April 13, 2024. These actions are intended “to degrade and disrupt key aspects of Iran’s malign activity, including its UAV [Unmanned Aerial Vehicles] program and the revenue the regime generates to support its terrorism” and to further restrict Iran’s access to commercial grade microelectronics.
-
Apr 18, 2024 | 
lexblog.com | Francesca M.S. Guerrero |Samir D. Varma |Aaron Mandelbaum
To “further enhance defense industrial base cooperation and technology innovation with Australia and the United Kingdom,” the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) issued an interim final rule (“IFR”) on April 18, 2024 to ease various licensing requirements prescribed by the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”) for exports, reexports, or transfers (in-country) to or within the two countries.
-
Apr 18, 2024 | 
lexblog.com | Francesca M.S. Guerrero |Samir D. Varma |Aaron Mandelbaum
On April 17, 2024, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Venezuela-related General License 44A, “Authorizing the Wind Down of Transactions Related to Oil or Gas Sector Operations in Venezuela.” This license replaces General License (GL) 44 that was issued in October 2023 allowing for certain activities in this sector, including those involving Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PdVSA) and its 50% or more owned entities (PdVSA Entities), otherwise prohibited...
-
Apr 16, 2024 | 
lexblog.com | Samir D. Varma |Francesca M.S. Guerrero
On April 15, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, as Chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) to enhance certain CFIUS procedures.
-
Apr 15, 2024 | 
lexblog.com | Francesca M.S. Guerrero |Samir D. Varma |Aaron Mandelbaum
On April 15, 2024, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General License (GL) 5O, “Authorizing Certain Transactions Related to the Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. 2020 8.5 Percent Bond on or After August 13, 2024,” which continues to delay U.S. persons’ ability to enforce bondholder rights to the CITGO shares serving as collateral for the Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA) 2020 8.5% bond until on or after August 13, 2024.
