Barack Obama and free trade: Economic vandalism

Economist | Sep. 17, 2009 (News Analysis)
A protectionist move that is bad politics, bad economics, bad diplomacy and hurts America. Did we miss anything?

YOU can be fairly sure that when a government slips an announcement out at nine o’clock on a Friday night, it is not proud of what it is doing. That is one of the only things that makes sense about Barack Obama’s decision to break a commitment he, along with other G20 leaders, reaffirmed last April: to avoid protectionist measures at a time of great economic peril. In every other way the president’s decision to slap a 35% tariff on imported Chinese ... Full Story »

Posted by Kaizar Campwala

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Subjects: World, U.S., Politics, Business
Topics: China, Obama Administration, Trade, Globalization
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Posted by: Posted by Kaizar Campwala - Sep 17, 2009 - 9:41 AM PDT
Reviewed by: John Louden (review), Jim Lang (review)
Content Type: Article
Edit Lock: This story can be edited
Edited by: Kaizar Campwala - Sep 17, 2009 - 9:41 AM PDT
Related Comments: Obama Administration (3)

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Jim Lang
3.2
 by Jim Lang - Sep. 20, 2009

This is more an opinion piece than new analysis. It starts by making several supported points concerning the protectionist nature of Obama's decision to place a tariff on Chinese tires but then hypes that action as a potential poison pill to all of our favorite diplomatic initiatives. It loses it's punch in overreaching.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
John Louden
2.4
 by John Louden - Sep. 17, 2009

I'm getting a bit tyred of the British critiscism of anything that has the potential to change the status-quo -- not that there's much reason to fear...

See Full Review » (6 answers)

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  • Barack Obama and free trade: Economic vandalism

    Economist | Sep. 19, 2009 (News Analysis)
    You can be fairly sure that when a government slips an announcement out at nine o’clock on a Friday night, it is not proud of what it is doing. That is one of the only ...
    Posted by Fabrice Florin
    3.1
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