Australia Picking the Wrong Fight at the Wrong Time
The last several years have been a challenging time for rules-based international commerce as unilateral, discriminatory actions have proliferated around the world. Much of this misguided economic policy stems from the Trump administration’s reckless “national security” tariffs on imported steel and aluminum as well as its tariffs ostensibly designed to combat Chinese technological mercantilism—and the wholly predictable retaliation from trading partners. Yet even longstanding defenders of the international trading system have implemented or are considering discriminatory taxes on foreign tech firms based in the United States. Now Australia wants to join the fray and unilaterally flout traditional international commercial rules.