Sarah Thomas sings the praises of globalization. A slice:
An economic order based on comparative advantage is more efficient and productive than economic nationalism. As a result, societies that have liberalized economically have seen the strongest growth, where growth often drives democratization and, ultimately, peace. But comparative advantage has less to do with a country’s technical ability for production and more to do with the efficiency of its production—so even the countries with the fewest resources can grow.
This dynamic intersects with opportunity cost, meaning that even if a country had superior technical skills in producing, another country could produce and sell the good to the first country at a lower cost than if that country produced it itself. In doing so, the other producer can be said to have a comparative advantage. A real-world example of this is Germany and Saudi Arabia. Germany has superior technical know-how but channels those skills toward the production of cars—its comparative advantage. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has the reserves and sufficient skill to extract and refine oil, giving it a comparative advantage as the world’s largest exporter of oil.
Hence, comparative advantage drives the international division of labor, which cultivates a peaceful world order of trading partners. But this peace is not limited to the modern globalized era. Indeed, earlier societies also embodied the peace of commerce—even prior to the Industrial Revolution. As Johan Norberg notes in Peak Human, history attests to seven “Golden Ages” of civilization where economic dynamism and peace prevailed.
The Editorial Board of the Wall Street Journal decries Trump’s “tariff gift to Abdul El-Sayed.” A slice:
President Trump’s trade war with Canada is harming both countries, but it’s helping American Democrats who are using his border taxes to attack Republicans. Ground zero is Michigan, where competitive races could decide control of Congress in November.
A new Ipsos poll conducted for the business coalition M finds that Mr. Trump’s tariffs are overwhelmingly unpopular in the state, especially the tariffs on Canada. While the President says other countries pay the tariffs, 80% of Michigan likely voters say American consumers do. They’re right.
Businesses that import goods embed the tariffs into their prices, sometimes in stealthy ways. Cox Automotive this spring found that Mr. Trump’s tariffs drove a 10.4% increase in the average suggested retail price for new cars. Michigan Smart Trade Alliance estimates tariffs have cost the state $26 billion since January 2025, or about $6,419 per household.
A large share of this tax bill comes on imports from Canada, which exports about $40 billion in goods to Michigan every year. Vehicles and parts make up roughly half of that. Because of its significant car manufacturing, Michigan depends heavily on cross-border supply chains with Canada and Mexico. Michiganders understand that.
Some 81% of Republicans and 92% of Democrats and independents say the U.S. trade relationship with Canada is crucial to the state economy, according to the Ipsos poll. About three-quarters of both parties want the U.S. to focus on combatting China’s mercantilist trade practices while at the same time maintaining strong trade ties with Canada and Mexico.
Eric Boehm reports this: “The Trump administration paid federal workers $9.5 billion to skip work.”
