From Global Insurer to Protectionist Racketeer (legrandcontinent.eu)

• U.S. tariffs function as a regressive tax on domestic consumers.
• Foreign investment targets are exaggerated and lack commercial viability.
• Shift to transactional diplomacy damages the established global stability model.

"The article critiques the shift in U.S. foreign and economic policy, transitioning from the post-war model of providing 'global security insurance' to a transactional, coercive 'protection racket' under the Trump administration. Using trade data, the author argues that tariffs fail to boost domestic manufacturing or reduce deficits, instead imposing an 'inflation tax' on U.S. households. Furthermore, foreign investment promises are analyzed as heavily exaggerated, as geopolitical coercion discourages sustainable industrial integration. Ultimately, the policy creates opaque, inefficient supply chains and undermines the traditional U.S.-led stability that benefited the global and domestic economy."