Aug 092018
 

After NAFTA

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as we know it no longer exists. In an era of shifting trade winds precipitated by the free trade policies of Donald Trump (no tariffs, no barriers, no subsidies, etc), the threat of a global ‘trade war’ has now crossed the horizon.

That ‘war’ is being precipitated by the nations who most insist on maintaining their controls on free trade, while hypocritically pretending to be on the side of ‘free trade.’ To them, Donald Trump is the ‘bully.’ Bully for them. But crying ‘bully’ doesn’t make it so.

As Western University’s assistant professor of political science Salim Mansur illustrates, we are witnessing a shift in world trade – away from the destructive policies of ‘globalism’ and back to a world of sovereign nations, each determining its own destiny and interests against those imposed upon it by other nations.

The lesson to be learned is that every nation – whether under ‘globalism’ or ‘nationalism’ – will always act in its own interest. As soon as that interest in no longer served, old ‘alliances’ quickly fade while new ones are formed.

The relationship between Canada and the United States is undergoing a similar shift. Given the opposite political polarities of Justin Trudeau and Donald Trump, Canada’s accelerated move Leftward does not bode well for its future.

Donald Trump’s ‘America first’ is the right policy for Americans. ‘Canada first’ is the right policy for Canadians. Unfortunately it is not the one that its ‘globalist’ Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, shares. These are not opposing policies destined to put each nation at ‘war’ with the other. They are the very incentive that pushes each nation towards freedom, knowing that freedom is the condition that benefits each nation best.

The reality that nations (like their individual citizens) all act in their own interest, demands that free trade, not ‘crony’ trade or state controlled mercantilism, be the principle on which nations establish their trade relationships. After all, it’s the only way to create a ‘win-win’ scenario that’s Just Right for all concerned.

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