President Trump recently slapped tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from certain countries, but not because those countries don't play fair on trade.
Instead, the Trump administration cited national security concerns. The move has got him what he wants, but it puzzled America's trading partners. If they retaliate with the same tactic, the damage to the global trading system — and to the rules that underpin the system — could be huge.
Links:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-flaw-in-trumps-national-security-tariffs-logic-1520612895
https://lawfareblog.com/commerce-departments-self-defeating-conception-national-security
Music by Drop Electric. Find us: Twitter/ Facebook.
Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, PocketCasts and NPR One.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.