Much of the post-1945 liberal international order, and especially after 1989, was based on two principles: collective security (i.e. NATO) and free trade (i.e. the EU, GATT, NAFTA, the WTO etc). Trump is systematically undermining both. This is a tectonic shift in world history.
I fear even people who really should know better are in denial about the damage that is being done. Even if Trump & everyone else steps back from the brink of a global trade war, these are massive body blows to the integrity of what remains of liberal internationalism.
Americans perhaps don't appreciate how dependent the Canadian economy is on US trade. So the idea that Ottawa is slapping 16 *billion* dollars worth of tariffs on the US is incredible. It shows, as I've said before, how existential a threat this is for the Canadian govt.
When your closest neighbor & most steadfast ally, w a tenth of your population, slaps 16 billion dollars worth of tariffs on your goods something has gone catastrophically wrong. And that CDN officials have explicitly invoked CAN's military contributions is also noteworthy.
That's an emotional appeal, one that likely doesn't register in this WH, but it is a clear signal of how fundamentally Ottawa feels betrayed. And that's a sentiment largely shared by the EU states. So, beyond the economic impact, it's the political fallout that will burn us all.
My point is, there are daily affronts and scandals with this administration and it's hard to keep track of it all. But today may have been a genuine historical turning point. This is the end of an epoch and I, for one, am genuinely frightening of the future that awaits. /xxx
I’ll be on @OnTheMoneyCBC today around 4.10PM EST discussing some of the themes in this thread and why this Trump initiated trade war represents such a profound threat to what remains of the liberal international order.
Here is my quick chat with @OnTheMoneyCBC about Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and the EU. Building on the above thread, an attempt to suggest that this is no mere posturing but instead a fundamental blow to the post-1945 & post-1989 liberal order. cbc.ca/news/onthemone…
