Monday, March 05, 2018

Trump Changes NAFTA Discussions

U.S. President Donald Trump has tossed a monkey wrench into the NAFTA discussions. Amid considerable pushback from his plan to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports and the risk of creating a trade-war Trump is now suggesting he could modify the tariff plan if Mexico and Canada offered a NAFTA proposal that suited him. It seems that a so-called “fair” trade agreement can only be realized if programs intended to protect certain areas of the economy were abolished. Trump seems to overlook these types of U.S. programs as he focuses on "what's wrong" from his perspective beyond American borders. While Trump’s bullying tactics may have served him well with his business endeavours it is also consistent with his inclination to build walls rather than bridges. With his overt admiration for both the leaders of China and Russia it speaks to his own authoritarian style of leadership. Canada, and Mexico, needs to stand up to bullying tactics.

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