Questionable Tactics
Eric Lee/The New York Times Who amongst us believes that bullying our allies is shrewd statesmanship? In normal society, "punching down," the act of belittling someone who cannot fight back, is taboo. Does this standard apply to nations as well? In a recent interview on Fox News with Larry Kudlow, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik referred to Canada as a "Communist regime," and stated that Canada has "been living off the U.S. for decades and decades." This condescending tone towards one of our largest trading partners naturally hasn't been well-received in Canada. Does the United States position as the world's most consumptive nation give it the leverage that the White House believes it does in these matters of trade? If so, is using this leverage in such a manner the best negotiating tactic? The deal may get done, but will belittling Canada in this way damage relations between the two nations? For the record, Canada is not a Communist reg...
