Why Americans Should Care About Trump’s Tariffs

The Trump administration’s tariffs on steel and aluminum imports are about more than just these products or even the danger of tit-for-tat escalation. The tariffs are effectively an attack on the World Trade Organization—and the very global system that has so benefited the United States, The Economist argues. “Trump seems to think trade is a zero-sum affair, in which a deficit is a sign of a bad deal. But the vast improvement in living standards after the second world war went hand in hand with a rapid expansion in world trade over eight trade rounds, each of which lowered barriers. Imports are in fact welcome, because they benefit consumers and spur producers to specialize in what they do best,” The Economist says. “Without the WTO, cross-border trade would continue—it is unstoppable—but the lack of norms and procedures would leave disputes to escalate. The fewer the rules, the more scope for mercantilist mischief and backsliding. Trade policy could be captured by special interests. Military power would hold greater sway in trade disputes than economic fair play. Transnational investment could drain away. As a vast continental economy, America would lose less from this than other countries. It would nonetheless lose a lot, including a pillar of the system that has underpinned its post-war political influence.”

So, How Hard Is It Exactly to Deploy a Nerve Agent?

British police said Wednesday that former Russian military official Sergei Skripal and his daughter were deliberately poisoned using a nerve agent. Ian Sample notes in The Guardian that while such agents “are not hard to make in principle…in practice it takes specialized facilities and training to mix the substances safely.” “The raw materials themselves are inexpensive and generally not hard to obtain, but the lethality of the agents means they tend to be manufactured in dedicated labs. The main five nerve agents are Tabun, which is also known as GA and is the easiest to make, Sarin, Soman, GF and VX,” Sample writes. “VX was invented in the UK in the 1950s, and is the most powerful nerve agent. It is mostly absorbed through the skin, and tends to take effect in the space of minutes. It can also be turned into a vapor by heating it, in which case the effects are almost immediate.” Why Britain finds itself in the crosshairs. The apparent attack on Skripal is hardly the first in Britain. Economics is likely one reason why the country has found itself a consistent target, but the audacity of this latest alleged attack might change that, suggests John Schindler in The Observer. “[T]he British government has been relatively timid about making a fuss regarding the murders of Russians on its soil. Although British police and intelligence have pushed for a stronger response by London, that has not been forthcoming. The difficult reality is that enormous Russian investments in British firms and real estate have translated into political influence, and no British government has been eager to rock the boat over a few mysterious murders,” Schindler says. “The Skripal hit may change that. The matter has been handed to elite counterterrorism police for investigation, while…the British cabinet convened a top-level COBRA meeting to discuss the case. Although London is officially keeping an open mind, MI5 is reported to believe that the Kremlin stands behind this ugly operation. It’s difficult to imagine who else wanted the old spy dead…