Does This Explain Trump's Tarrifs?
I think it does.
Unless you trust all the other countries in the world, and unimpeded international shipping ,maintaining your own manufacturing base is important for national security.
Not only manufacturing, but food production and mineral production are equally important when there's a possibility of disruption of supplies from outside your own country.
( I've thought that this might be a partial justification for Canada's supply management system but I'm not sure that it is working as intended and has not just become an expensive boondoggle when the biggest asset to produce is quota and the cost of financing quota inflates the costs of the products.)\
One more thing. Canada's reaction to Trump's gambit was exactly the worst possible thing our governments could have done. Canada shares a border with United States and is a logical supplier that should be able to be trusted but our governments' reactions when tested were not to prove we can be trusted but to show that we cannot be and when showing respect was the smart thing to do, Canada showed disrespect and continues to do so.
The one exception was Danielle Smith who went down and met personally with Trump and indicated a willingness meet Trump's demands to the extent that they were reasonable and indicted a willingness to listen and negotiate. She immediately increased the border security in Alberta and indicated respect for our American neighbor.
“Biggest Transnational Crime Group on Earth”: Why Canada Must Break Free From China
A group of top national security experts is sounding the alarm: Canada’s relationship with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has crossed from economic engagement into a full-blown democratic threat.
At a Dec. 6 forum in Toronto, former RCMP proceeds-of-crime director Garry Clement called the CCP “the biggest transnational organized crime group ever seen,” warning that Beijing is actively infiltrating Canada’s political, business, and cultural institutions. Through the United Front Work Department, the CCP co-opts elites, business leaders, community organizations, and media outlets—while intimidating and surveilling dissidents “on a daily basis.”
Clement also linked Beijing to the fentanyl crisis, saying the CCP could shut down precursor shipments to Canada “if they really wanted to,” but instead allows the flow as a form of “disruptive warfare,” echoing the tactics of the Opium Wars....
