In his first year and a half in office, the President has scrapped some major trade agreements, withdrawn from others, and thrown the whole system into a state of near-chaos. U.S. allies and adversaries alike aren’t sure where the nation stands in its commitment to trade. So what’s the plan? Is the President pursuing a long-term strategy whereby things eventually settle down and we return to a regime of predictable and coherent rules? On this episode, we get a perspective from attorney William Alan Reinsch. He holds the Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, and is a senior adviser to the law firm of Kelley, Drye & Warren LLP. He also served as undersecretary of commerce for export administration during the Clinton Administration. Reinsch discusses the “collateral damage” to importers and exporters from the current confusion over U.S. trade policy, as well as the threat to the nation’s “moral authority,” maintained over the 70 years since creation of a western rules-based trading system. As Reinsch says in a recent commentary, quoting songwriter Paul Simon, it’s time to “make a new plan, Stan.” Hosted by Bob Bowman, managing editor of SupplyChainBrain.
Look for a new episode of the podcast, which can be downloaded or streamed, every Friday on the SupplyChainBrain website and iTunes.
Show notes:
A commentary by Reinsch on U.S. trade policy.
Reinsch’s CSIS-sponsored podcast, “The Trade Guys.”