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.
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.