Perspectives

In April, the White House announced drastic changes in US tariff policy that have led to much uncertainty about prices and fees for imported goods and how they will affect American consumers. International diplomatic and economic policies continue to shift, including an announcement in July of a new approach to Africa that centers “commercial diplomacy.” As Leigh Gardner writes in “From Aid to Trade,” in fact the administration’s new approach isn’t new at all. Similar policies in the 1920s encouraged economic partnerships between the United States and Africa with varying effectiveness. But will these historical precedents influence current policymaking? Only time will tell.

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