December 12, 2024
Sharper: Tariffs
The incoming Trump administration has signaled that tariffs will be a central pillar of its economic strategy, with significant implications for international trade, the American economy, and U.S. foreign policy. Tariffs can bolster U.S. national and economic security by protecting critical industries but may undermine these goals, straining relations with key partners and disrupting global supply chains. CNAS experts are sharpening the conversation on the national security implications of tariffs. Continue reading this edition of Sharper to learn more.
Features
Taking Trump’s Tariffs Threats Seriously
In the hectic world of economic security news, Emily Kilcrease and Geoffrey Gertz break down the ill fated Nippon Steel / U.S. Steel deal, new chips export controls, and TikTik’s bad day in court. Plus, introducing ‘Tariff Tarot,’ a segment to help you make sense of all the tariff proposals and threats from the incoming administration, and an explainer on whether the President has the power to impose all the tariffs he’s talking about (spoiler: yup, sure does).
Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves
The Commerce Department plays a vital role in the nation's economic health, with the department increasingly involved in critical national security decisions. On December 16 at 2:00 p.m. CNAS will host a fireside chat with Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves who will take stock of the Department’s work on tariffs, export controls, critical technologies, and more. He will be in conversation with Emily Kilcrease, senior fellow and director of the CNAS Energy, Economics & Security Program.
No Winners in This Game: Assessing the U.S. Playbook for Sanctioning China
The relationship between the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is marked by both geopolitical tensions and deep economic linkages. While policymakers may have once believed that economic integration would inject stability into the overall relationship and provide a deterrent to conflict, that idealistic vision has been shaken by Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. No longer can the United States and its partners assume that the PRC’s economic interest in retaining ties to the global economy will override its nationalist impulses.
Energy, Economics & Security
Taking Trump’s Tariffs Threats Seriously
Join Emily and Geoff to catch up on a whole bunch of economic security news, including the ill fated Nippon Steel / U.S. Steel deal, new chips export controls, and TikTik’s ba...
Energy, Economics & Security
Virtual Event | Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves
Dec 16, 2024
Energy, Economics & Security
No Winners in This Game
Sanctioning China represents a challenge more complex than any other in the modern era of sanctions. The scale and interconnected nature of China’s economy means that the dama...
In the News
Commentary and analysis from Emily Kilcrease, Adam Tong, and Rachel Ziemba
About the Sharper Series
The CNAS Sharper series features curated analysis and commentary from CNAS experts on the most critical challenges in U.S. foreign policy. From the future of America's relationship with China to the state of U.S. sanctions policy and more, each collection draws on the reports, interviews, and other commentaries produced by experts across the Center to explore how America can strengthen its competitive edge.
Export Controls Failed to Keep Cutting-Edge AI Chips from China’s Huawei
TAIPEI, Taiwan — A few weeks ago, analysts at a specialized technological lab put a microchip from China under a powerful microscope. Something didn’t look right. Figuring out...
Read More
Energy, Economics & Security
The Real Numbers Behind Trump’s Canada Tariff Threat
The data point is just one of many that help to contextualise Donald Trump’s threat to hit Canada and Mexico with a 25 per cent tariffs on all goods. The tariffs, which will a...
Energy, Economics & Security
Ziemba: China Could Impose Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S.
If tariffs and costs continue to rise, it will not be great for oil demand within the US, that's according to Rachel Ziemba, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New Amer...
Energy, Economics & Security
Why Chinese EVs Are a Cyber Risk
Electric vehicles are becoming more popular and if you can’t afford a Tesla, a cheaper Chinese made car could be the answer. But in the United States, the Biden administration...
Subscribe
Sign up to receive the latest analysis from the CNAS expert community on the most important issues facing America's national security.
Thank you for registering! You will receive a confirmation email shortly. All CNAS events are free, open to the public, and viewable from cnas.org/live.
Stay up-to-date with report releases, events, major updates, and announcements from the Center for a New American Security.
More from CNAS
-
Ziemba: Sanctions Enforcement on Russia To Ease Up
Video
Rachel Ziemba, an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), speaks with Bloomberg TV’s Joumanna Bercetche on the Horizons Middle East and Africa ...
By Rachel Ziemba
-
Beyond DeepSeek: How China’s AI Ecosystem Fuels Breakthroughs
Commentary
While the United States should not mimic China’s state-backed funding model, it also can’t leave AI’s future to the market alone....
By Ruby Scanlon
-
Averting AI Armageddon
Reports
In recent years, the previous bipolar nuclear order led by the United States and Russia has given way to a more volatile tripolar one, as China has quantitatively and qualitat...
By Jacob Stokes, Colin H. Kahl, Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Nicholas Lokker
-
Bruce Andrews on the Geopolitics of Semiconductors
Podcast
Emily and Geoff quickly debrief on the week’s tariff news, including new 25% levies on steel and aluminum imports, before chatting all things semiconductors with Bruce Andrews...
By Emily Kilcrease & Geoffrey Gertz
