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Michael Magoon's avatar

I also want to thank the British and the Dutch for showing the United States the way to creating a global trade system that enabled nations to copy the foundations of progress.

The Brits and the Dutch did it first!

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Stephen Verchinski's avatar

Whoa! What about the Brits? Prior to them was a system of global trade (to the extent of the reach of the Roman Empire (pax Romana) and that of the Muslims. The Brits system of imposed slavery and debt and preferentially imposed duties and taxes on everyday necessaries is what caused the Colonials to dump that in favor of a more Subsidiary Principle system enforced by tariffs imo.

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Michael Magoon's avatar

I would not consider the Roman Empire or Muslims to be global. Even the Dutch empire is stretching the definition a bit, but I am a total fan-boy of the Dutch Republic, so I will make an exception for them. : )

https://frompovertytoprogress.substack.com/p/the-dutch-republic-was-extremely

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Travis Monteleone's avatar

Woah, what about the Dutch?!

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Michael Magoon's avatar

Good point. Editted.

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Swami's avatar

Spot on. There has never been an era of faster growth for the poorest segment of humanity than the past 30 years. Neoliberalism and global trade were essential for this to blossom. The political tides turning on this are extremely misguided.

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Kathleen Weber's avatar

Well, Trump got rid of DEI for you. How do you like the whole package? If you choose a pig, you get the whole pig.

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Michael Magoon's avatar

I am taking a “wait and see” attitude towards Trump. There is no election until 2026 and I do not write about current events, so I see no reason to decide now.

As for the specific two policies that you mentioned, I am very glad that Trump is getting rid of DEI in the federal government and to a lesser extent the rest of American society.

I am very unhappy about the tariffs. I still hope that he will back down on this issue.

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Kathleen Weber's avatar

“I do not write about current events”

So, reposting a column about the virtues of the prior US low tariff trade policy was pure happenstance?

Given Trump's propensity in this term toward extreme behavior, his implementation of his long-held convictions on tariffs did not surprise me in the least.

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Michael Magoon's avatar

Yes, I deliberately reposted an article that I wrote before Trump became president because it seemed topical. And I will likely do so in the future.

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Md Nadim Ahmed's avatar

Are you optimistic on the future of trade? Global trade as a percentage of gdp has stagnated since the late 2000s. Do you see another wave of globalisation in the coming decades?

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Md Nadim Ahmed's avatar

Have you read anything by Richard Baldwin? He wrote "the great convergence". Probably the best trade economist of the century (so far).

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Stephen Verchinski's avatar

Will look into reading it.

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