International trade is one of the many areas in which the Trump administration has been egregiously bad. Trump himself seems to lack even the most basic knowledge about the principle of trade -- he seems to think it is always zero-sum with a loser for every winner --...
Free trade
Venezuelan Sanctions are a Bad Idea
The Trump administration recently enacted sanctions against Venezuela, citing human rights abuses among its justifications. But if violations of human rights are a legitimate concern for the administration, then pursuing economic sanctions is bad policy. Research...
How to Look at Tariffs
The best way to look at tariffs or import quotas or other protectionist restraints is to forget about political boundaries. Political boundaries of nations may be important for other reasons, but they have no economic meaning whatever. Suppose, for example, that each...
Peace, Harmony, and Free Trade: 10 Uplifting Quotes by Richard Cobden, the Shining Knight of Classical Liberalism
June 3rd marks the 1804 birth of “the Apostle of Free Trade,” Richard Cobden. He earned that name spearheading the campaign against England’s protectionist Corn Laws, whose repeal in 1846 spread liberalized trade through much of Europe. Some have said free markets owe...
5/11/18 Grant Smith on Black Cube, the Iran Deal, and who stands to gain
Grant Smith returns to the show to discuss The Black Cube, a private intelligence firm for hire. Smith and Scott discuss who might be behind the Black Cube investigations into prominent supporters of the Iran Deal, including friend of the show Trita Parsi. Smith then...
TGIF: A Public Choice Perspective on Trade
Let's say you could make a strictly economic case for government interference with people's trading activities, that is, with their ability to cooperate freely with others across the world. (I have no idea what "strictly economic case" even means, but stay with me.)...
TGIF: The Dangerous Deficit in Trade Understanding
I was chatting with my tobacconist the other day -- I have no rabbi, no priest, no minister, no imam, no chiropractor, and no lawyer, but I do have a tobacconist -- when it struck me that my trade deficit with him is astronomical. How could I have let this happen? For...
TGIF: Economic Nationalism: Elitism in Populist Clothing
My old friend and former American Conservative editor Dan McCarthy gets it all wrong about Donald Trump's "national security" tariffs on aluminum and steel. I won't discuss Dan's strictly economic case for the tariffs -- I've already discussed this -- but I want to...
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The Fake China Threat and Its Very Real Danger
Today the front pages and bookstores are filled with tales of the so-called "China Threat." From spy balloons to Fentanyl pipelines, genocide to dreams of world domination: CHINA! But is it all true? Is any of it? Now, for the first time, the speciousness of these and...
Questioning the COVID Company Line: Critical Thinking in Hysterical Times
