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Curated by Project Syndicate

Trump, Trade, and China

100 commentaries

The biggest cloud hanging over the world economy is the incipient trade war with China launched by US President Donald Trump. But with America’s closest allies rejecting Trump's protectionism, can the US really afford to go it alone?

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  1. Trump’s Backward March on Trade
    krueger23_Joshua LottGetty Images_trumpmagahat Joshua Lott/Getty Images

    Trump’s Backward March on Trade

    Jan 20, 2020 Anne O. Krueger argues that America has been the biggest loser after two years of protectionism and free-wheeling sanctions.

  2. Why a Cool War May Be Worse than a Cold One
    sheng95_narvikk Getty Images_chinaustradewarshipping narvikk/Getty Images

    Why a Cool War May Be Worse than a Cold One

    Jan 2, 2020 Andrew Sheng & Xiao Geng warn that in the current struggle between the US and China, both sides could end up losing.

  3. The Case for Old-Fashioned Tariff Cuts
    frankel105_5m3photosGettyImages_tradeshippingcontainer 5m3photos/Getty Images

    The Case for Old-Fashioned Tariff Cuts

    Nov 27, 2019 Jeffrey Frankel says modest-sounding trade policies focusing on “shallow integration” could produce significant benefits.

  4. After the US-China Trade War
    roach109_JOHANNES EISELEAFP via Getty Images_USstockmarkettrader Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

    After the US-China Trade War

    Nov 25, 2019 Stephen S. Roach says that, truce or not, a protracted economic struggle between the US and China has already begun.

  5. How to Get Past the US-China Trade War
    rodrik166_STRAFP via Getty Images_chinatradeshippingboat STR/AFP/Getty Images

    How to Get Past the US-China Trade War

    Nov 7, 2019 Dani Rodrik proposes a framework that would allow both countries to maintain their own economic model.

  6. China Adjusts to the New World Order
    sheng93_Kevin FrayerGetty Images_china70thwomanflag Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

    China Adjusts to the New World Order

    Oct 28, 2019 Andrew Sheng & Xiao Geng show that the country is in a position not only to survive US protectionism, but to thrive in spite of it.

  1. stiglitz331_serggnGetty Images_techregulation serggn/Getty Images

    A Big Defeat for Big Tech

    Joseph E. Stiglitz

    Tech companies know that if there is an open, democratic debate about data security, consumers’ concerns about digital safeguards will win out. And while the industry's lobbyists tried to ensure that no such debate could ever occur, one of their more cynical moves has now been exposed and thwarted.

    details how the industry tried to slip extraordinary protections against regulation into US trade agreements.
  2. zizek27_Giles ClarkeGetty Images_jimmycherizier Giles Clarke/Getty Images

    Haiti’s Proud Boys

    Slavoj Žižek

    If we measure a failed state by the cracks in the edifice of its power, reflected in brewing ideological civil wars, deadlocked assemblies, and increasingly insecure public spaces, we must recognize that the United States is not so unlike Haiti. Both have given rise to violent gangs with political ambitions.

    warns that rich Western democracies are not immune to politically motivated gang violence.
  3. hedegaard11_y Dursun AydemirAnadolu via Getty Images_parliament elections Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Unity Is Europe’s Greatest Asset

    Connie Hedegaard emphasizes the importance of stability amid persistent economic and geopolitical crises.
  4. qian34_PEDRO PARDOAFP via Getty Images_immigration PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

    The Truth About US Immigration

    Nancy Qian warns that overheated campaign-season rhetoric is dangerously polarizing and ultimately self-defeating.
  5. mueller51_ David McNewGetty Images_gop trump David McNew/Getty Images

    The Zombification of Political Parties

    Jan-Werner Mueller argues that Donald Trump’s capture of the GOP’s organizational machinery recalls authoritarian tactics elsewhere.
  6. basu100_David Dee DelgadoGetty Images_newyork David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

    The Economic Consequences of Legal Behavior

    Kaushik Basu highlights the potential benefits of emphasizing adherence to the spirit of laws, if not their letter.
  7. brown106_KOLA SULAIMONAFP via Getty Images_nigeriaschool Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images

    For Nigeria’s Schools, Safety Must Come First

    Gordon Brown writes that the latest mass abduction of students underscores the dilemma facing parents throughout the country.
  8. owoo1_disabled iStock / Getty Images Plus

    Give Women with Disabilities a Chance

    Nkechi S. Owoo explains what is needed to protect and empower one of the world’s most vulnerable demographic groups.
  9. op_mkurz3_Spencer PlattGetty Images_rustbelt Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    How Capitalism Became a Threat to Democracy

    Mordecai Kurz examines the economic policies and market dynamics that have ushered in America's Second Gilded Age.

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