Comment Re:typical (Score 1) 827
Oh absolutely. Everybody wants to prop up their own export market while reducing competition for domestic producers at home. America is not even the most egregious offender. France, and now all of the EU, with its huge trade-distorting export farm subsidies is particularly harmful because it makes it so that peasant-farmers in poor countries can't compete in the market. Japan is just as bad, though the harm it does is limited by the fact that it is a relatively small country. The list goes on and on.
Part of the philosophy of the WTO is multilateralism, that is, every country treat every other country equally (or at least fairly--poor countries tend to get a bit more favorable treatment than rich ones). So if you want trade in your country's exports to be free you have to make trade in your imports, which are by definition someone else's exports, free as well.
Once S. Korea starts slapping a 40% duty on Windows and Viagra, we'll start hearing Bush and Zoellick talking about how harmful trade wars are again.
Part of the philosophy of the WTO is multilateralism, that is, every country treat every other country equally (or at least fairly--poor countries tend to get a bit more favorable treatment than rich ones). So if you want trade in your country's exports to be free you have to make trade in your imports, which are by definition someone else's exports, free as well.
Once S. Korea starts slapping a 40% duty on Windows and Viagra, we'll start hearing Bush and Zoellick talking about how harmful trade wars are again.
