As the United States passes trade tariffs against major world powers, it will lead to trade wars, then to proxy wars and finally to more direct national conflicts between multiple nations. This is because the United States uses an inherently dishonest means of settling trade negotiations; the U.S. Dollar in terms of U.S. Treasury Notes and U.S. Treasury Bills. The U.S. can create them freely, unlike other nations (who can create their own currency and treasury notes) and then attempt to coerce other nations to use them in trade being backed up by the might of the U.S. armed forces. The use of currency in this (dishonest) manner is an act of (economic) warfare.
The U.S. was in a unique position after WWII as most of the world´s capital (in terms of gold and production of goods) was held by and/or stored in the U.S. and most major nations were destroyed and/or in debt after WWII. The U.S. Dollar was convertible to gold and used to settle trade between nations as of 1944. This is no longer the case, but prices for commodities (oil, wheat, sugar, silver, etc., etc.) are settle in U.S. Dollars. When a nation (whether it be China, Panama, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong or any other) pegs (with the intention to manipulate) its currency (not money) to the U.S. Dollar it is doing so in order to defend itself. To impose an import tariff on a country that is trading with the U.S. while the U.S. is operating the largest currency manipulation in the history of the world is an additional act of (economic) war. To expect a nation with a measure of common sense not to defend itself is foolish.
If a prudent man had business dealings with another man (trader) who was dishonest or who had cheated them or others, he would stop doing business with this trader, as the prudent man will lose more in the long run. If the prudent man thought that this trader was going to kill him because he would not trade with the trader; and the prudent man was unable to defend himself (currently), he would build himself up to a point and join forces with others (prudent men) to where they could defend themselves and break relations with the dishonest trader. Until the prudent man could do this, he would deal with the trader in a way to protect himself and minimize interactions with the trader until he could stand on his own. To expect any nation that desires to survive to do any less is unreasonable.
The U.S. was in a unique position after WWII as most of the world´s capital (in terms of gold and production of goods) was held by and/or stored in the U.S. and most major nations were destroyed and/or in debt after WWII. The U.S. Dollar was convertible to gold and used to settle trade between nations as of 1944. This is no longer the case, but prices for commodities (oil, wheat, sugar, silver, etc., etc.) are settle in U.S. Dollars. When a nation (whether it be China, Panama, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong or any other) pegs (with the intention to manipulate) its currency (not money) to the U.S. Dollar it is doing so in order to defend itself. To impose an import tariff on a country that is trading with the U.S. while the U.S. is operating the largest currency manipulation in the history of the world is an additional act of (economic) war. To expect a nation with a measure of common sense not to defend itself is foolish.
If a prudent man had business dealings with another man (trader) who was dishonest or who had cheated them or others, he would stop doing business with this trader, as the prudent man will lose more in the long run. If the prudent man thought that this trader was going to kill him because he would not trade with the trader; and the prudent man was unable to defend himself (currently), he would build himself up to a point and join forces with others (prudent men) to where they could defend themselves and break relations with the dishonest trader. Until the prudent man could do this, he would deal with the trader in a way to protect himself and minimize interactions with the trader until he could stand on his own. To expect any nation that desires to survive to do any less is unreasonable.