Trump, trade and tariffs [What Think Tanks are thinking]

Written by Marcin Grajewski,

U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, raising fears of a trade war with other countries. He has argued that the levies, of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminium, are needed to protect U.S. national security. But many analysts and politicians believe that they are actually meant to protect domestic producers and meet Trump’s pre-election promise to return manufacturing jobs to the U.S. The European Union is seeking an exemption from the tariffs, which has already been granted in principle to Canada and Mexico. If this does not happen, the EU could respond in several ways, including by imposing its own tariffs on U.S. products. This note offers links to a series of recent commentaries and reports from major international think tanks and research institutes in reaction to Trump’s decision. More reports on international trade can be found in a previous edition of ‘What Think Tanks are thinking’ published in June 2017 The Trump tariffs on steel and aluminium: The end of the WTO? European Centre for International Political Economy, March 2018 Are we steel friends? Bruegel, March 2018 Trump has shown how dangerous he is to the global trading system Chatham House, March 2018 U.S. steel and aluminium tariffs: How should the EU respond? Bruegel, March 2018 How Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs could affect state economies Brookings Institution, March 2018 Trump’s trade policy turns destructive Centre for European Policy Studies, March 2018 The risks of U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs Council on Foreign Relations, March 2018 What we do and don’t know after Trump’s tariff announcement Peterson Institute for International Economics, March 2018 Trade policy-making under irrationality Centre for European Policy Studies, March 2018 How imports helped the American steel industry Brookings Institution, March 2018 A trade war on the poor: How a collapse of the WTO would hurt the worst off Council on Foreign Relations, March 2018 Tariffs open can of worms Trump won’t be able to get back on American Enterprise Institute, March 2018 Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs: How WTO retaliation typically works Peterson Institute for International Economics, March 2018 Trump, China, and steel tariffs: The day the WTO died Council on Foreign Relations, March 2018 Trade talks episode 29. After Trump’s tariffs: Retaliation, negotiation, and litigation Peterson Institute for International Economics, March 2018 Shots fired: EU takes aim at peanut butter as Trump targets steel Atlantic Council, March 2018 Are Trump’s tariffs aimed at the WTO? Atlantic Council, March 2018 Trump steel tariffs could kill up to 40,000 auto jobs, equal to nearly one-third of steel workforce Council on Foreign Relations, March 2018 Donald Trump, steel tariffs, and the costs of chaos Council on Foreign Relations, March 2018 Public comment on Trump administration report on significant trade deficits Peterson Institute for International Economics, March 2018 Trump’s tariffs will hurt the economy: Congress should reassert its constitutional authority on trade Heritage Foundation, March 2018 Trump’s tariffs would be a massive, self-Inflicted wound Heritage Foundation, March 2018 This threat of a trade war is the opposite of “Drain the Swamp” Cato Institute, March 2018 Trump is serious about tariffs Hudson Institute, March 2018 Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs are counterproductive: Here are 5 more things you need to know Peterson Institute for International Economics, March 2018 Potential fallout of misguided steel and aluminum tariffs Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, March 2018 Trade remedies for steel and aluminum were long overdue Economic Policy Institute, March 2018 5 times US tariffs have made matters worse Foundation for Economic Education, March 2018