The Importance of Being Certain
By William Reinsch The recent episode involving Carrier sheds some light on how a President Trump will govern. He clearly sees himself as a problem solver once he finds out about a problem. A company is going to leave town? Ok, let’s sit down and see if we can turn that around. Another company somewhere else? […]
Transition Follies
By William Reinsch Having watched presidential transitions dating back to Jimmy Carter, two things appear certain when the change is from one party to the other: The winners always declare they have a mandate for change. Everything the preceding administration did was bad and needs to be abolished or corrected. These false assumptions lead inevitably […]
The Two Faulty Assumptions of President-elect Trump’s Trade Policy
By William Reinsch I’ve delayed commenting on the election, but I do want to make some general comments about the incoming administration’s likely trade philosophy and how they might implement it. A more detailed discussion of specific policy initiatives will come later. First, keep in mind that the president-elect has a long history of changing […]
Nate Olson quoted in Marketplace on the Trump administration’s position on the TPP
Among the campaign promises President-elect Donald Trump seems intent on keeping is withdrawing the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The trade agreement between the U.S. and 11 Asia-Pacific countries has yet to be approved by Congress. But in a video released yesterday on YouTube, Trump said he would withdraw from the deal on Day One […]
Bring America’s Supply Chains into the Digital Age
Editor’s note: This analysis is part of 2017 Presidential Inbox — an ongoing Stimson Center series examining the major global challenges and opportunities the Trump administration faces during its first 100 days in office. Click here to read the full series. By Eric Miller THE CHALLENGE: From sluggish economic growth to fast evolving security threats, […]
Bill Reinsch op-ed in Washington International Trade Association on the future of trade in the US
Last week I discussed the rise of the Millennials and the implications for trade policy. Today I’d like to expand that and look at the impact on partisan politics. Over the past 150 years, America’s two main political parties’ positions on trade have flip-flopped. In the 19th century, the Republicans were the dominant party in the northeast, and […]
A Transatlantic Springboard for a New Trade Policy?
Editor’s note: This analysis is part of 2017 Presidential Inbox — an ongoing Stimson Center series examining the major global challenges and opportunities the Trump administration faces during its first 100 days in office. Click here to read the full series. By William Reinsch THE CHALLENGE: Thanks to the presidential campaign, trade has become a […]
Back to the Future on Trade?
By William Reinsch: Editor’s Note: This is the third in a series of three pieces examining demographic trends and their impact on the global economy. Read Part I: No Country for Old Men? Demography’s Impact on the Global Economy,” and Part II: Into the Great Wide Open: How Millennials Look at Trade. Last week I discussed the rise of […]