According to President Obama, the election that gave Donald Trump and the Republicans full control of the federal government and their greatest dominance at the state level since the Civil War had nothing to do with his policies. We Democrats…
U.S. Trade Policy – Time to Start All Over
by jeff.faux •
Anger over the impact of international trade on jobs, wages, and opportunities was a major cause of Donald Trump’s election. As the Democratic Party’s politicians and pundits search through the rubble of Hillary Clinton’s candidacy for clues to her stunning…
TPP: The “National Security” Sales Pitch
by jeff.faux •
During the 1993 congressional debate over the North American Free Trade Agreement, a Democratic Congressman with a solid pro-labor voting record asked me why I thought NAFTA would be bad for working people. “Well, you may be right about the…
Free Trade in Moral Hypocrisy
by jeff.faux •
U.S. trade policy of the last 20 years, if not dead, is on life- support. The economic case for the series of neoliberal trade deals since the North American Free Trade Agreement has collapsed in the wake of job losses,…
Orlando and the War
by jeff.faux •
The first casualty of War is Truth -Aeschylus The massacre in Orlando triggered a predictable sandstorm of political and pundit opinion on the causes and prevention of these horrible events. Among other things, Trump blamed Obama, Clinton blamed guns,…
Why Is Iran Our Enemy?
by jeff.faux •
“Where are you from?” the elderly man asked politely, as my wife and I strolled through his small Iranian village in early May. “America,” I answered. “Wonderful,” he said, grabbing my shoulders and giving me the traditional three kisses on…
Brexit: The Unintended Consequences
by jeff.faux •
On June 23, British voters will go to the polls to accept or reject a proposal that Britain leave the European Union. The latest polls show the vote in favor the British exit, or “Brexit”, narrowly ahead. The case…
Trade “Experts” Don’t Follow Their Own Dots
by jeff.faux •
The presidential primary campaigns of both parties have exposed widespread voter anger over US global trade policies. The candidate have responded: Trump, Clinton and Cruz have joined Bernie Sanders in opposition to the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership, which the Obama…
ISIS War Debates II: Doubling Down on Disaster
by jeff.faux •
The American Prospect Feb. 22, 2016: Paul Starr wants Barack Obama to accelerate the war on ISIS. But his proposals would only prolong a war that we cannot win and that is unraveling the fabric of our democracy. Impatient with the…
ISIS War Debates I: Why Is This Our Fight?
by jeff.faux •
The Nation, Jan 14, 2016: This war is already lost. None of the US governing class’ shifting war aims—stabilizing the region, defending human rights, ending terrorism, establishing democracy—can be achieved. There is no future “diplomatic” solution that justifies continuing the…