American Interests in International Trade

            Although the motivation behind the United States’ approach to international change varies from one administration or world order to another, the United States’ current interest in trade focus primarily on promoting our own success and economic nationalist image. With the current administration in mind, our approach to international trade seems to be most accurately characterized by aspects of both the second and third image. In terms of the second image, American approach to trade views our own interests as paramount, promoting an economic nationalist image, per the “America First” philosophy of our current President. Additionally, this philosophy incorporates the characteristics of the third image in that trade ideally functions only with the United States as the head of the institutions, as well as the United States imposing capitalism to grow our own economy. Similar to the practice of democratizing other developing nations such as Zimbabwe or Venezuela, promoting capitalism in developing potential trade partners really only serves to benefit American interests. Just like how our version of democracy is not particularly the ideal system for every society, neither is our version of capitalism either. President Trump’s “America First” philosophy of American foreign policy seeps into his approach to international trade as well—For his administration, if it does not directly benefit our own economy, it is not worth our time or effort.

            Currently, the focus on promoting an American-led world order is primary in terms of international trade; however, President Trump has also somewhat shifted the focus to serving interest groups as well. Specifically, Trump aims to endorse trade policies that benefit some of his biggest supporters in the steelworkers’ union. In March of 2018, President Trump announced that he planned to impose steeps tariffs on steel and aluminum imported into the United States, in attempt to appease his steelworker supporters as well as promote his “American First” philosophy. Essentially, Trump’s hopes are to bring back more American jobs and American-made materials to stimulate our own economy. A very controversial proposal steeped in protectionist trade idealism, his announcement angered many of our trade allies as well as many Republican Senators that still support free international trade. Additionally, although he hoped to appeal to steelworkers and manufacturers, the move actually upset many steel-consuming industries that claimed it would raise their costs and actually threaten American jobs as a result. ClearView Energy Partners, an energy consultant firm, claimed that Trump’s proposal “could impose new costs on oil and gas production,” affecting industries beyond just those directly associated with steelworkers.

            As much as administrations past and present could put on the façade that United States interest in trade is rooted in promoting a more prosperous world, that concept is largely overshadowed by selfish interests of American economic nationalism. The concept of international trade is inevitably associated with humanitarian labor issues. Even though people worry that Trump’s administrations marks the end of globalization and free trade, the reasons for ending it are not related to the humanitarian issues associated with free trade, such as poor international working conditions as well as inhumane child labor. Although promoting free international trade does not help address these humanitarian issues, advoiding the issue altogether does not help either. Although addressing these humanitarian issues in other nations and how they relate to international trade with the United States would not directly benefit American economic interests, in the long run it would benefit the creation of a more humanitarian world. Especially with the current administration, it is hard to put humanitarian issues of other nations over economic issues of our own country. Nonetheless, in thinking about international trade, is it necessary to think about the effect it has on humanitarian labor issues.