The Washington Times ^ | 11/18/2025 | Peter Morici Posted on by E. Pluribus Unum President Trump is redefining the bargain between America and its allies by radically altering post-World War II Western security arrangements and the conditions that fostered market-driven globalization. He has successfully secured commitments from Europe and Japan to contribute their necessary shares to the common defense against Russia, China and their axis allies and imposed asymmetrical deals that raise U. S. tariffs. Regardless of how the Supreme Court rules on the legality of those tariffs, the president’s new arrangements are inherently unstable. Among the accomplishments in creating the 1995 World Trade Organization was the extension of rules governing trade in services, similar to those governing trade in goods under the 1948 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The 1995 General Agreement on Trade in Services was anticipated to permit America’s most competitive sectors finance, high tech and the creative media to thrive without border taxes similar to tariffs on goods. That expectation has been violated by arbitrary European Union regulations that target U. S. high-tech companies. Governments across Europe, Canada, India and elsewhere have imposed digital services taxes that apply primarily to the largest global companies, American businesses such as Alphabet and Microsoft, on products created in their countries and exported into their markets. By targeting primarily American high tech, those taxes effectively become import tariffs on U. S. services. Canada, seeking to remove the Trump tariffs on goods, has abandoned its digital services tax; however, the trade deals reached with Britain and the EU don’t require similar action. Mr. Trump may be threatening and bullying our partners into accepting what most call uneven economic bargains by imposing tariffs of 10% to 20% while demanding that they lower their taxes on our goods exports. However, by allowing them to retain their taxes on our most competitive services, these deals are hardly one-sided. (Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes. com . TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs KEYWORDS: Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC PO Box 9771 Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. 1 posted on by E. Pluribus Unum Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by.
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Trump’s trade reset exposes Europe’s hypocrisy on free markets
