Let's talk about Trump vs the EU, Canada, the pacific, and the world.... - Belle of the Ranch

[TexasTowelie]

Well, howdy there Internet people. It's Belle again. So, today we're going to talk about Trump versus the world new trade block edition.

As Trump leads the US into decline on the international stage, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he'd be willing to broker a bridge between the European Union and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. That's known as the CPTPP. But because that's a mouthful, for this video, I'm just calling it the Pacific because that's the region it represents. What Carney is offering is to help standardize and unite a massive segment of the global economy in a trading block that would notably exclude the United States.

Carney said, "It's the opportunity to have a rules-based trading block of 1 and a half billion people with complimentary economies and also provides a basis potentially for further expansion out of that. We're talking about around 40 countries in Europe and the Pacific that would join together on economic issues from Europe to Australia, Brunei, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam, and more.

Because of Trump's surrender of the US economic leadership position, Canada is the next logical choice to push this collaboration. They're perfectly situated to be well, as Carney said, a bridge. Carney said he's already talked to a number of world leaders about it, notably mentioning Australia and New Zealand

Australia being mentioned is kind of a big deal. While it rarely gets the recognition it should from the US government, Australia has sent troops to fight alongside the US in every major conflict we've had for more than a hundred years. They even sent troops to Vietnam.

New Zealand's record is almost as strong. They didn't agree to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Honestly, that should have been a sign to the rest of us.

Canada's international trade minister wrote about this development, saying, "Stronger ties between the EU and CPTPP members will strengthen supply chains, unlock new opportunities for Canadian businesses, and reinforce a rules-based trading system. Canada is proud to be at the center of this momentum."

Rules-based trading system. That's the model that many commentators are saying Trump killed. It doesn't look like it. It looks like he just took the US out of the system so other countries get the benefits and we're left isolated. While commentators in the US are focusing on the immediate damage to the US economy and politicians are looking solely at the midterms, countries around the world are planning a global economy without the US at the center. It's unlikely Carney could get this off the ground by the midterms.

Trump reacted to every little petty grievance real or imagined with threats of tariffs and trade disruptions. The world isn't reacting. It's responding and building global trade without the US. US companies and workers will lose out as these trading blocks build more cohesive unions. The kids and grandkids of the people who trusted the guy with a string of bankruptcies over the most prominent economists in the world will be the ones who pay the most for the US decline. Maybe if the US corrects course, they'll let us have a junior seat at the table later.

Anyway, it's just a thought. Y'all have a good day.