U.S. trade wars cause drama in Europe and China
The United States just can’t help but start more trade wars, Italy is in upheaval and more in this week’s politics roundup
Tariffs to hit European Union and more
It seems more than a little odd to saddle economic and political allies with hefty tariffs in an attempt to bolster one’s own floundering industries, and yet here we are. Three of the biggest trading partners with the United States — Mexico, Canada, and the European Union — are now facing serious tariffs on metal imports into the U.S. Specifically, 25 percent taxes on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum.
Earlier in the year, these tariffs were set to hit everyone. However, a few nations, including those mentioned above, were briefly exempt from the taxes. Negotiations regarding those tariffs did not progress, and so the hefty taxes have made their return.
Predictably enough, the EU, Canada, and Mexico were not happy. The three nations each announced that they would retaliate with tariffs of their own on American goods.
At odds with China again
The tariff drama isn’t confined to North America or Europe, however. China, too, has pushed back rather seriously against these new import taxes. In addition to steel and aluminum tariffs, the White House proposed further economic penalties in the form of 25 percent taxes on $50 billion of Chinese goods.
All of this followed what seemed to be a mellowing of affairs. Last week, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said that the trade war between China and the U.S. was “on hold.” Though the White House contradicted Mnuchin, it seemed as if those 25 percent tariffs were indeed paused.
Further complicating matters, however, is China’s role in the currently floundering U.S.-North Korea talks. The U.S. claimed that China was partially responsible for North Korea’s renewed aggressiveness, which it then claimed derailed the talks.
While the possibility of the summit lives on in a geopolitical version of “will they, won’t they,” relations between the U.S. and China remain strained.
What’s going on in Italy?
Whether or not you think that populism is a good thing, it’s become an increasingly prominent subject of acclaim and worry in the European Union. Generally speaking, populist governments and politicians are unfriendly towards the communal nature of the EU. Specifically, the shared euro currency, in which individual nations can dramatically affect the economics of the entire union, has been the subject of intense debate.
Most recently, Italy has centered itself in this issue. Really, however, Italy has been hashing out its issues with the euro ever since the country adopted the currency in 2002. Like other countries in the EU, Italy has no power over interest rates, which are set for everyone by the European Central Bank. A return to the Italian lira, however, would grant Italy more control over its money.
Besides reportedly undermining the economy, some Italians have claimed that the euro, in its way, supplants Italian culture and pride. Those larger issues helped pave the way for the formation of multiple populist Italian parties, including the Five Star Movement and the deeply conservative League.
Together, the Five Star Movement and the League have formed a substantial coalition within the Italian parliament. This made observers especially nervous, given that neither party has been friendly to the euro or the EU. If Italy were to withdraw from the union or undermine its economic policies, the shockwaves would be felt worldwide.
The coalition and the rest of the Italian government reached a deal on Thursday, easing many of those fears. However, the rise of populism in Italy, coupled with the persistent anti-EU sentiment there, illustrates the challenges that face Europe and the rest of the world.
Denmark bans face coverings
The issue of whether or not a Muslim woman has the right to cover her face is a persistently thorny one in Europe. Is it a matter of free speech and religious rights? Or, is it a symbol of growing anti-Western fundamentalism?
Denmark apparently believes the latter. Its parliament voted on Thursday to outlaw face coverings in public. These include both the burqa and the niqab, two different kinds of face coverings worn by conservative Muslim women. 75 members of the Danish Parliament voted in favor of the measure, with 30 opposed and 74 members absent.
Though the law ostensibly bans all face coverings, it is widely interpreted as a move against conservative Muslims. Similar “burqa bans” have also generated controversy, including numerous cases in France, Austria, and Belgium.
Supporters of the ban say that face coverings are simply another form of oppression, while also presenting a security hazard. It is worth noting that this ban will affect less than 1 percent of Danish women. The measure does not specifically target any religion and still allows for items such as hijabs and turbans.
Opponents, however, claim that Muslim women may have their freedom curtailed thanks to this new law. It goes into effect on August 1. It also violates personal freedoms, says Amnesty International’s Europe Director, Gauri van Gulik. “This blanket ban is neither necessary nor proportionate and violates the rights to freedom of expression and religion,” he said in a statement.
“If the intention of this law was to protect women’s rights it fails abjectly. Instead, the law criminalizes women for their choice of clothing and in so doing flies in the face of those freedoms Denmark purports to uphold.”
Kim K urges prison reform
This is one of those moments where you must be thoroughly convinced that we have entered an alternate reality. On a sci-fi TV show, at least a few of the characters are dogged by the persistent feeling that things aren’t right. The captain’s chair was here instead of there, the first officer never had a goatee, and so on. They’re haunted by the notion that reality has warped in a way that simply does not jive. It’s like nails on a cosmic chalkboard.
Anyway, Kim Kardashian went to the White House to argue for prison reform. Specifically, she made her way there House to make the case for Alice Marie Johnson. Johnson is a great-grandmother who was sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for a non-violent, first-time drug offense. In her bid for Johnson’s clemency, Kardashian also met with Jared Kushner. Kushner is a presidential adviser and son-in-law who is also somehow in charge of prison reform.
It’s hard to fault Kardashian for seeking the freedom of Johnson, who has more than paid her debt to society. Neither is it entirely strange for a celebrity to make their way into the White House. After all, Elvis effectively bullied a confused Richard Nixon into giving him a Narcotics Bureau badge.
Perhaps, besides the strange sense of unease, it has more to do with the president’s documented misogyny and, arguably, his advocacy of violence against women.
And, finally, your palate cleanser
Is cursive really doomed? This argument, focusing on the demise of the handwriting style also known as longhand, has been around for a while. The rise of the typewriter seemingly spelled the end for cursive, as did computer keyboards and, most recently, smartphones.
But it doesn’t all look like the simple fall of one thing due to the rise of another. Multiple studies have found that writing longhand helps someone to retain more information. The more laborious process forces people to slow down and actively listen to what’s happening.
That doesn’t necessarily mean cursive is king, especially when there’s print handwriting to contend with. Even though some states, like Louisiana and California, have demanded that students learn to write in script, there’s no clear advantage to cursive handwriting.
Next: United States cancels talks with North Korea
It’s all pretty interesting, given that we’re stuck arguing over how people should scribble in a notebook. If you’re interested, then there is a wealth of books to seek out. Look for A History of Writing, by Steven Roger Fischer, for one. There are also Anne Trubek’s The History and Uncertain Future of Handwriting and Script and Scribble: The Rise and Fall of Handwriting, by Kitty Burns Florey.