Trump uses tariff threat on European allies regarding the Iran Deal

[essentialsaltes]

A week before Germany, France and Britain formally accused Iran of breaching the 2015 nuclear deal, the Trump administration issued a private threat to the Europeans that shocked officials in all three countries.

If they refused to call out Tehran and initiate an arcane dispute mechanism in the deal, the United States would impose a 25 percent tariff on European automobiles, the Trump officials warned, according to European officials familiar with the conversations.

The U.S. effort to coerce European foreign policy through tariffs, a move one European official equated to “extortion,” represents a new level of hardball tactics with the United States’ oldest allies, underscoring the extraordinary tumult in the transatlantic relationship.

“The tariff threat is a mafia-like tactic, and it’s not how relations between allies typically work,” said Jeremy Shapiro, research director at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Officials in Britain, France and Germany say that they had planned to initiate the mechanism but that Trump’s threat nearly caused them to backtrack, out of concern that they could be viewed as stooges of Washington if word of the threat leaked.

“We didn’t want to look weak, so we agreed to keep the existence of the threat a secret,” a European official said.

I can't even

 

[GACfan]

I think these countries should unite and stand up to Trump because he's bullying them. Perhaps these countries should even play his manipulation game and threaten (or place) tariffs on the U.S.

 

[Hank77]

 

[Fantine]

I am often embarrassed to be an American lately, even though I had nothing to do with the unfortunate 2016 election--and as a matter of fact had even worked to prevent the disastrous outcome.

I pray that I can once again feel proud on January 20, 2021. We have so many apologies that need to be made for his misdeeds, so many fences to mend.

 

[JackRT]

My wife just asked me "why are Americans like they are?" I flippantly replied "bullies gotta be bullies". I should apologize for that because the vast majority of Americans are not bullies. However Trump is not your average American --- he is a real estate entrepreneur and wanna be celebrity who has a long history of very questionable and sometimes illegal dealings. Applying this to international diplomacy seems to be his approach. It is a dangerous and potentially disastrous policy.

 

[SarahsKnight]

I mean, what else can you say at this point, right? =/

 

[blackribbon]

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created in 1949 by 12 nations, including the United States, to provide collective security against the Soviet Union. Today there are 28 NATO countries. An attack against one is considered an attack against all.

Since the end of the Cold War, US officials have expressed concern that NATO allies spend too little on defense, relying too much on the American military. Both Republicans and Democrats have called on allies to spend more.

During the 2016 US presidential election, Donald Trump went further, saying “We are getting ripped off by every country in NATO.”

Members of Trump’s administration, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Vice President Mike Pence, pressed this point directly with European leaders and NATO officials in February, calling on them to increase their spending and share in the burden of defense for the alliance.

In April, while meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, President Trump said, “In facing our common challenges, we must also ensure that NATO members meet their financial obligations and pay what they owe. Many have not been doing that.”

At a meeting of NATO countries in Brussels on May 25, President Trump proposed that NATO allies not currently meeting an agreed-to target, step up their defense spending to support financial obligations of the alliance. The agreed to plan is for each country to contribute 2% of their GNP. About 5 counties out of the 28 are meeting this goal. Germany is only contributing a little over 1% while the US is contributing around 4% of our GNP.

Is Trump really a bully for asking the other countries to step up and contribute their agreed upon fair share of the expenses of NATO? If you agreed to pay $500 rent a month but only actually paid $250, would you really say the landlord was a mean bully when he decided to evict you?

 

[blackribbon]

I think these countries should unite and stand up to Trump because he's bullying them. Perhaps these countries should even play his manipulation game and threaten (or place) tariffs on the U.S.

Do you know how tariffs work? They will raise the price of US goods to Germans. This would only affect the US if the Germans could buy the same products from another country for a price less than the cost of the product plus the tariff. The US would have to be hurt by this loss of business.

Do you think that the US is really so dependent on Germany buying ANY of our products that this would really cause any significant trade issues?

 

[essentialsaltes]

Do you know how tariffs work?

Do you? Apparently not. [sorry, missed a bit of the exchange]

They will raise the price of US goods to Germans.

No, Trump's threat was to put US tariffs on German (and other) goods. That makes German goods more expensive for Americans. Just as his tariffs on China caused prices to increase for Americans.

 

[essentialsaltes]

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was

not mentioned in the OP.

 

[tall73]

Trump's threat was to put US tariffs on German (and other) goods. That makes German goods more expensive for Americans. Just as his tariffs on China caused prices to increase for Americans.

He was addressing GACfan's proposal for European nations to place tariffs on US goods.

 

[blackribbon]

Do you? Apparently not.



No, Trump's threat was to put US tariffs on German (and other) goods. That makes German goods more expensive for Americans. Just as his tariffs on China caused prices to increase for Americans.

Yes, his threat makes German goods more expensive. Therefore US citizens by from other companies affecting the German finances to put pressure on the Germans to do the right thing (unless you are FOR letting Iran have nuclear weapons). We are not dependent on German goods so this will not really affect Americans much. The threat only means something if Germany is dependent on their exports to the US market.

The tariffs on China was to try to force China to allow free trade from the US into China and balance the back and forth trade relationships. It also was to allow US companies to be more competitive and bring jobs back home to the US. Of course, Chinese goods are cheaper because they are not held to the same safety standards as American companies and they pay their employees pennies to our dollars.

 

[blackribbon]

not mentioned in the OP.

Oops. Yes, this is about the US trying to force these countries to support keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of Iranian leadership. What an awful thing for him to do.... ???? How does this make him a bully? (and NATO does get involved in this because we are formal allies and this is an international security issue)

What stand do you think the US should take?

 

[Nithavela]

Not surprised, that's how you're supposed to treat your vassals.

 

[Kentonio]

Oops. Yes, this is about the US trying to force these countries to support keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of Iranian leadership. What an awful thing for him to do.... ???? How does this make him a bully? (and NATO does get involved in this because we are formal allies and this is an international security issue)

What stand do you think the US should take?

Blackmailing allies to do exactly what you want them to is the behaviour of a criminal and a thug. The US reputation internationally is in tatters because of this president, and the damage will not be repaired for many years (if at all). Enjoy getting what you want in the short term, because the long term costs to US soft power are going to be huge.

But hey, most Trump supporters don’t seem to understand that the US actually gains a lot from its alliances, so I don’t expect them to suddenly start understanding this.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Oops. Yes, this is about the US trying to force these countries to support keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of Iranian leadership.

Force? Those countries have a treaty with Iran that requires Iran to not develop nuclear weapons. Those countries are already committed to that.

What stand do you think the US should take?

Rejoin the treaty. Then, if we don't like what Iran is doing, we can make use of the mechanisms set in place in the treaty ourselves, rather than twisting the arms of other countries who had the sense to stay in the treaty and have the leverage that we don't.

Having torn up the treaty, Trump has left us on the outside looking in. But rather than lie in the bed he made, he's leaning on our allies like a mob boss.

 

[Nithavela]

Force? Those countries have a treaty with Iran that requires Iran to not develop nuclear weapons. Those countries are already committed to that.



Rejoin the treaty. Then, if we don't like what Iran is doing, we can make use of the mechanisms set in place in the treaty ourselves, rather than twisting the arms of other countries who had the sense to stay in the treaty and have the leverage that we don't.

Having torn up the treaty, Trump has left us on the outside looking in. But rather than lie in the bed he made, he's leaning on our allies like a mob boss.

The treaty is dead. The USA has seen to that.

It's been dead since the USA left it and started to bully every other company of note to follow its sanctions or be sanctioned themselves.

 

[blackribbon]

The treaty is dead. The USA has seen to that.

It's been dead since the USA left it and started to bully every other company of note to follow its sanctions or be sanctioned themselves.

Obama killed the treaty by not standing behind it. This issue is a lot older than Trump. (Pay attention to the date of the article...this was before anyone knew who would be the next President)

https://www.usnews.com/opinion/arti...ar-deal-is-an-unforgivable-betrayal-of-israel

 

[essentialsaltes]

Obama killed the treaty by not standing behind it. This issue is a lot older than Trump.

No, that opinion piece is mainly complaining that the treaty was a bad one, and that Obama is standing behind it.
For what it's worth, Trump's administration verified that Iran was abiding by the terms of the treaty. Let's just stipulate that the amount of enrichment allowed under the treaty was 'bad'.

Currently, Iran is enriching at a higher level than they were even before the treaty was negotiated and signed.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I think these countries should unite and stand up to Trump because he's bullying them. Perhaps these countries should even play his manipulation game and threaten (or place) tariffs on the U.S.

An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. Though, frankly, I'd prefer we didn't have a president who whines like a child and makes threats because the world doesn't bend to his every whim.

-CryptoLutheran