In the five years since 9/11, combating terrorism and securing the global supply chain has become of vital importance. For its part, U.S. Customs is relying on companies to voluntarily comply with its C-PAT program, and also is upgrading its own technology. Don?t let the term ?compliance? scare you?C-PAT offers great business benefits to those that do.

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In today?s global economy, international trade has become commonplace in most industries. Yet companies still find it challenging to make the right decisions and effectively manage their international operations. Two shippers tell how global trade management software helped make their import/export operations more efficient, timely, and compliant.

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Global trade has mushroomed in the post- Cold War world. With few exceptions, the availability of goods and services from anywhere on the planet is only a mouse- click away. Trade barriers continue to fall. Who would have thought 30 years ago that China would emerge as such a competitive force in the global marketplace? Who would have thought that India would have such an impact as a quality high- tech service provider?

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released traffic results for the first seven months of the year showing growth of 6.4% for passenger traffic and 5.3% for freight over the same period last year.

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The Doha Development Agenda negotiations are to be suspended because gaps between key players remain too wide. Heads of delegations, speaking in an informal meeting of the Trade Negotiations Committee on 24 July 2006, agreed with WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy that this will be a setback for all members.

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The Muppet’s Kermit the Frog concludes an advertisement for a hybrid car saying that maybe it is easy being green. He’s clearly not looking at the challenges facing the logistics community. A quick look at some environmental issues demonstrates how quickly the solutions can spread, in the form of look-alike-laws or from the impact of a regional solution.

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European retailers have warned of the dangers which a resurgence in protectionist policies could have on the regional economy.

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Another slew of changes to the Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) is on the way, and shippers had better be prepared for them, says Bernie Hart, global product executive with JPMorgan Chase Vastera.

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The Business Activities Tax Simplification Act currently before Congress (H.R. 1956) could be a “costly speed bump in interstate commerce,” says Jack Boyd, president of site selection consulting firm The Boyd Company.

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Logistics has its own language, and international trade is one of its major dialects. In that context, Incoterms are an important mode for communication among trading partners.

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