Exactly when Washington soured for good on free trade is an open question. Maybe it was in 2008 under George W. Bush, when the United States couldn’t prevent India from blowing up the Doha global trade negotiations. Or maybe it was 2016, when both presidential candidates opposed the Trans Pacific Partnership, a last gasp effort by the departing Obama administration to create a free-trade pact in Asia.
Whenever the shift happened, we are clearly in a post-free trade era where economic nationalism is in vogue. Out is economic efficiency; in is economic security. Trade policy now is designed to make sure the United States becomes more self-sufficient and to protect leading industries from too much foreign competition.
A recent sign of this sweeping geopolitical change is a book by two authors from usually free-trade institutions, called How to Win a Trade War: An Optimistic Guide to an Anxious Global Economy. Coincidentally, the book was released on May 26, shortly after Foreign Affairs published an issue headlined “How (Not) to Fight an Economic War,” with a cover featuring images of B-2 bombers.
The book cover for "How to Win a Trade War" features a bright yellow top section and a white bottom section. Large, bold black text at the top reads "HOW TO WIN A TRADE WAR." Below the main title, smaller black text reads "An Optimistic Guide to an Anxious Global Economy." To the right of this subtitle is an image of a deflated, crumpled desk globe on a silver stand. The white section at the bottom lists the authors' names in black capital letters: "SOUMAYA KEYNES" and "CHAD P. BOWN."
