Protectionism

History & Democratic Piety

MLK’s arc towards justice doesn’t entail passivity and requires sacrificial labor with patience. It also offers confidence that such labors are not in vain. There is a cosmic superstructure, and its Architect presides and will prevail.

Trump’s Trade Tirades
Trump’s Trade Tirades

The economic case in favor of free trade remains as definitive and decisive today as it was when articulated by Adam Smith in 1776. But making an economic case is not enough. The moral and cultural case needs to be made as well.

Only a Matter of Time: Trump on Trade and the Temptation to Disrupt

This is an axiom, as true for foreign policy as it is for our faith. We may not be bound by history, but we are damned if we ignore it. The root of conservatism is the tendency to see value in traditions not as ends unto themselves but as visible reminders of the sacrifices of those who have gone before.

Tariffs, Trade, and Trump
Tariffs, Trade, and Trump

For every job the Trump administration is trying to protect, over 40 jobs exist in industries that rely on aluminum or steel as a primary input.

What You Should Know About NAFTA
What You Should Know About NAFTA

The sixth round of talks to update the NAFTA will begin later this month in Canada. But Canadian officials are increasingly concerned that President Trump will announce the United States will unilaterally withdraw—either as a negotiation tactic or as a way to shift toward Trump’s favored protectionism. Here is what you should know about the perennially controversial trade agreement.

What Ever Happened to the Left-Right Divide on Foreign Trade?
What Ever Happened to the Left-Right Divide on Foreign Trade?

They agreed. At least on the single issue of foreign trade, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton agreed the United States must retreat from free trade agreements. In the midst of the most polarized presidential election in living memory, both major party candidates converged on the need to reconsider American-led globalization and take a more protectionist stand in foreign markets.

William Inboden Dark Days Niebuhr
William Inboden’s “Dark Days”: The Use and Abuse of Niebuhr in the Current Campaign

Inboden’s essay in War on the Rocks, “Dark Days: Trump, Christianity, and a Low Dishonest Decade,” has garnered a great deal of attention, but has not, as far as I can tell, been answered in print.

Protectionism False Hope Free Trade
False Hope of Protectionism

Over the past year, popular demand to use protectionism to shield workers and companies from cheap foreign products has received more attention. But the focus should be on improving productivity and helping workers transition.

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