US President Donald Trump’s reckless, self-destructive tariffs have given Europe, China, and various middle powers an opportunity to make a statement about who they are and what they stand for. With few exceptions, their responses have left much to be desired.
CAMBRIDGE – America’s critics have always depicted it as a selfish country that throws its weight around with little regard for others’ well-being. But President Donald Trump’s trade policies have been so misguided, erratic, and self-defeating as to make even the most cartoonish of such descriptions seem flattering. Still, in a twisted way, his trade follies have laid bare other countries’ failures as well, by forcing them to consider what their responses say about their own intentions and capabilities.
About the author:
Dani Rodrik, Professor of International Political Economy at Harvard Kennedy School, is Past President of the International Economic Association.