
David Rosenberg: It may not seem obvious today, but Trump has done Canada a big favour when it comes to the future
The United States sends tremendous support to its allies around the world, but the payback has typically been a more stable world — it doesn’t always work, mind you, as we have seen these past three years. But no country benefits more from a tranquil world than the U.S.
Not to mention that America is the world’s economic powerhouse and has the resources, along with the self-interest, to support its allies in the Far East, Europe and the Middle East. Instead of running counter to domestic national security, the U.S. is playing the role of the world’s police force, and it does serve the national interest.
It was American isolationism and late entry into the Second World War that extended the war and ended up making it far worse than it needed to be (thanks, Charles Lindbergh). The upfront costs of the post-war Marshall Plan ended up being a boon to the U.S. economy. The civilized world needs an engaged America, and for those who think differently, go back and re-read George Orwell’s 1984 dystopian classic — a masterpiece that never goes out of style.
Now, let’s examine U.S. President Donald Trump’s strategy of “reciprocal tariffs.” The effective tariff rate in the U.S. is 2.7 per cent. Did you know that the comparable levels in Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Portugal, Hungary, Canada, Australia and Japan are all lower than 2.7 per cent? The only countries where it’s higher are the United Kingdom, China, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, India and South Korea.
In other words, countries that have a 40 per cent share of U.S. imports are the ones that have tariff rates higher than the U.S. The rest do not. Under reciprocal tariffs, the president should actually be cutting tariffs against the other 60 per
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