World trade rules need fixing

April 28, 2025

Freer world trade and rules to support it have lifted hundreds of millions of people out of dire poverty on the Asian side of the Pacific. Freer trade has benefitted millions of Australians by way of cheaper prices, but it has also reinforced the view that the planet’s resources are unlimited, and we have some sort of human right to consume far more than other people.

On a planet with eight billion others, we are resource greedy in our energy use, in our habitual waste of materials, and in our ability to look the other way when natural environments are being destroyed.

Rules-based world trade arrangements are not perfect, but the ill-considered, erratic actions of President Donald Trump risk damaging the livelihoods of billions of people and driving us toward wars. The sort of “strong man” leadership cults that have infected the US, China, Russia and many smaller countries expose ordinary people to the real risk of nuclear wars, and the economic miseries of another Great Depression.

All wars, economic, military, and wars over national status, make victims of decent people around the world who love their kids, want to earn a living, and want to leave the world.