NAFTA: TPP in Disguise?
By William Reinsch It now appears that after a good bit of drama, the NAFTA path is becoming clear, at least as far as process is concerned. The required notification letter has been sent, which means that formal negotiations can begin after August 16. Since Ambassador Lighthizer has expressed a desire to get moving, it […]
On US-China Trade Policy: Bring on the Chickens!
By William Reinsch Two weeks ago Secretary of Commerce Ross announced the first deliverables of the 100 day action plan with China. Hopefully, they will not be the last, because they are pretty thin gruel, and — more important, they miss the point. Let’s take a look at some of the details. First, for the […]
Is the World Slowing Down?
By William Reinsch On May 8, the ever-resourceful Robert Samuelson produced another thoughtful column for the Washington Post. This one discussed an article by Ruchir Sharma of Morgan Stanley in the current issue of Foreign Affairs. In it, Sharma concludes that the conventional economic tools employed after the Great Recession — deficit spending, low interest […]
Nate Olson quoted in Los Angeles Times on Trump’s Trade Policy
The Senate on Thursday signed off on President Trump’s nominee to become the nation’s chief trade representative, ending more than four months of delays that the administration blamed for slowing its initiatives on trade, including efforts to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. -snip- “There’s definitely a new dynamic now,” said Nate Olson, a trade specialist at the […]
Trump: Squirrel or Toad?
By William Reinsch I started to write a comment on President Trump’s first 100 days last week but then put it aside because the NAFTA follies at the end of April were simply too tempting to pass up. Now that he has passed his 110th day, I want to get back to it; otherwise I […]
Trade Follies
By William Reinsch I had mostly written this week’s column — a piece on President Trump’s first 100 days — and then last week’s multiple fiascos rolled out, so I decided to put the 100 days aside and focus on the fiascos instead. There are two issues here, the thing itself: our rapidly oscillating trade policy, […]
William Reinsch quoted in Bloomberg on Peter Navarro
As he stepped onto the stage at the annual meeting of the National Association for Business Economics, Peter Navarro knew he was facing a tough crowd—or what passes for one in the staid world of the social sciences. It was March 6, Day 46 of Donald Trump’s presidency, and Navarro, then the head of the […]
Nate Olson quoted in Manufacturing.net on World Trade
President Donald Trump over the weekend signed an executive order directing top cabinet officials to review the nation’s trade agreements — including commerce governed by the World Trade Organization. -snip- “Trade wars break out when the rules of the game are unclear or purposely undermined,” Nate Olson, the trade director at think tank the Stimson Center, told the Los […]