[Christopher Balding] What Trump’s trade war is really about

As the trade war between the US and China escalates, with President Donald Trump imposing tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese imports, both sides are trying to portray themselves as victims of an unconstrained unilateralist rival. They’re both wrong: This dispute is about something much bigger.　For many years, American foreign policy adopted a fairly strong pro-China stance. The US was a major proponent of China’s accession to the World Trade Organization and took no direct policy actions in respo

July 8, 2018

[Leonid Bershidsky] Tech giants are stronger than Paul McCartney

The European Parliament’s rejection of new copyright rules shows how difficult it is for regulators to compel the tech industry to pay for content that it uses for free.　The parliament voted Thursday to send a draft Copyright Directive back to the drawing board; a new version will be debated in September. The decision is a disappointment for Paul McCartney, who had urged legislators to pass the measure. It also represents a missed opportunity for news organizations, which would have received a l

July 8, 2018

[Gina Barreca] The power of praise, pride to lift, inspire

Was there a time when hearing the simple phrase “I’m proud of you” made a significant difference in your life?　My family was long on love and short on praise. There were smooches and hugs and pats on the head, but neither my older brother nor I recall that any of the relatives in the immediate family (about 119 of them) ever said, “I’m proud of you, kid.”　They could have said it in three different languages, too, given that the crowd spoke Italian, English and the French of the Quebecois. But th

July 6, 2018

[Tyler Cowen] America’s unhealthy obsession with Supreme Court

Americans’ growing preoccupation with the culture wars has meant a greater focus on the two branches of government where these often symbolic battles are most fought and noticed: the presidency and the Supreme Court. A byproduct is the relative neglect of the third branch, Congress.　This has led to poor governance. Not long ago, the Republicans passed a tax reform bill, in part because they thought voters would like it. Six months later, the bill is losing popularity. The benefits of the bill ar

July 5, 2018

[Joseph J. Ellis] Parsing the ‘pursuit of happiness’

The beauty of all self-evident truths is that, by definition, we do not need to explain why they are true. Our annual celebrations of American independence fit neatly into this mental zone of confident presumptions. To the extent that we think about it at all, the Fourth of July is the time for summer vacation schedules to start, fireworks to appear at dusk and patriotic rhetoric to evaporate amid the airbursts.　It therefore might seem almost rude to suggest that we spend a few minutes asking ou

July 5, 2018

[Erwin Chemerinsky] How that online sales tax ruling will affect you and drag taxes into 21st century

I often observe that the Supreme Court’s rulings affect all of us. That definitely will be true of its decision allowing state governments to require that internet companies collect sales taxes on transactions.　We now may have to pay more when we buy things online, thanks to the June 21 decision; it is estimated that this might generate as much as $33 billion in additional tax revenue for the states. Also it is right as a matter of basic fairness in treating in-state and out-of-state businesses

July 5, 2018

[Daniel Moss] Japanese businesses aren’t cowering amid trade gloom

So much for the trade war apocalypse.While many headlines feature gloom about the precarious state of relations between the US and its economic partners, Japan’s most widely watched indicator has some sunny patches worthy of attention.Japanese companies plan a surge in capital spending in the year through March 2019, according to the central bank’s quarterly Tankan survey released this week. Some increase was anticipated, in part because the second quarter usually shows an improvement, but the 1

July 4, 2018

[Leonid Bershidsky] Innovation can’t fix urban transportation’s woes

Urban transportation is undergoing a revolution. Offerings such as Uber and Lyft, as well as car- and bike-sharing services are widely believed to reduce congestion and generally make urban dwellers more mobile; driverless cars are expected to provide further benefits. Yet the notion that these innovations always make things better is far from a given: The new services are a net good only if they complement traditional public transportation systems rather than compete with them.In May, Nashville

July 4, 2018

[Anjani Trivedi] Detroit spinning out fuels China’s auto dreams

As Donald Trump drums up a trade war, China’s industrial policies are poised to give a boost to some little-known companies that already dominate crucial areas of the global auto industry.　In recent days, Beijing has dialed back the “Made in China 2025” campaign that’s been central to the Trump administration’s argument that the nation is using unfair business practices to gain an edge. Domestic media have been told not to mention the initiative, according to the New York Times, while the editor

July 4, 2018

[Jagannath Panda] Pyeongtaek expounds ‘corporate’ military strategy

It is time to rethink the notion that US strategic and military presence and influence in Asia is declining under Donald Trump. If the United States’ new military base in Pyeongtaek signals anything, the United States will continue to strengthen its military and strategic outreach with its alliance partners in Asia, including South Korea, although selectively. The Trump administration’s selective approach is to put US military and strategic interests ahead of anything else under the “America Fir

July 3, 2018

[Michael R. Strain] Whom should government serve, kids or elders?

How does the government balance the interests of parents and children? How should it?　 I argued in a column last month that the Trump administration’s policy of separating children from parents at the US southern border is cruel and an offense against the inherent dignity of both. My Bloomberg Opinion colleague Tyler Cowen pointed out that these families are hardly the only ones broken up by US public policy. He cites a 2010 study finding that over 1.2 million incarcerated Americans have childre

July 3, 2018

[Michael Schuman] Give China a taste of its own bad trade medicine

One of my mottos is: Don’t criticize something unless you have a better idea. I’ve decried President Donald Trump’s tariff tactics, so it’s only fair I offer my own strategy for fighting a trade war with China -- one with a bigger chance of success and smaller downside risk.　Trump is right about China but wrong in his method. Yes, Beijing engages in unfair business and trade practices. Yes, something has to be done. But tariffs, bluster and threats aren’t likely to inflict enough damage to compe

July 3, 2018