President Trump, Trade Policy, and American Grand Strategy: From Common Advantage to Collective Carnage

Asian Journal of WTO & International Health Law and Policy, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 1-31, March 2017

32 Pages Posted: 7 Apr 2017

See all articles by David P. Fidler

David P. Fidler

Indiana University Maurer School of Law

Date Written: March 31, 2017

Abstract

As a candidate for president of the United States, Donald J. Trump promised to abandon longstanding U.S. approaches to trade and pursue strategies anchored in protectionism and nationalism. This article examines President Trump’s trade policy ideas and proposals and highlights the extent to which he intends to disrupt traditions of U.S. policymaking on trade. The article also analyzes whether domestic and international politics might shift the Trump administration away from a radical approach back towards trade policies that approximate how the United States has managed trade for decades. If such a shift does not occur, the Trump administration’s trade policy could produce political and economic damage on a global scale, and this collective damage will forever be remembered as “Made in America”.

Keywords: comparative advantage, economic interdependence, international trade law, grand strategy, nationalism, President Trump, protectionism, populism, trade policy, Trump administration, World Trade Organization

Suggested Citation

Fidler, David P., President Trump, Trade Policy, and American Grand Strategy: From Common Advantage to Collective Carnage (March 31, 2017). Asian Journal of WTO & International Health Law and Policy, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 1-31, March 2017, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2948199

David P. Fidler (Contact Author)

Indiana University Maurer School of Law ( email )

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