What is the real reason behind Trump’s punitive tariffs? Two beliefs that have frequently wreaked havoc in the past, writes Rainer Zitelmann

Throughout history, absurd economic theories have repeatedly caused immense damage. From Marxism to other forms of anti-capitalism, these ideologies have plunged numerous countries into poverty. But rarely have economic zero-sum beliefs and scapegoating caused such economic carnage in such a short space of time as in the few days since Trump’s “Liberation Day”.

For zero-sum thinking and scapegoating are the basis for Trump’s tariff policy.

What is zero-sum thinking?

Zero-sum thinking refers to the fallacy that in the economy, one person’s gain is always another person’s loss. It is a belief anti-capitalists are profoundly convinced of, and Trump is too. He cannot imagine that free trade benefits both sides; for him, one party’s gain is another party’s loss.

Zero-sum thinking is often linked to scapegoating, whereby politicians in one county blame their own internal problems on other countries. This is a popular narrative in countries such as Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, and Iran, where rulers attribute their countries’ problems to sanctions imposed by the West. Similarly, many African nations blame historical colonialism for the fact that they are poor today.

Donald Trump has exhibited a........

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