As Washington renews tariff threats, Europe is weighing retaliation. Hitting US services would hurt the US the most, but it comes with high risks. #EuropeNews
We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false that the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient, that trade rules were enforced asymmetrically. And we knew that international law applied with varying rigour depending on the identity of the accused or the victim. –Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada
That’s nice that he knew. But here’s the thing: the quiet but very real strangehold major US monopolies have on everybody’s lives on Earth reached five-bell alarm levels decades ago, yet nobody seems to be even dimly aware of it.
I now live outside the US, and in all the countries I’ve lived in, I kept thinking “If I was this country’s leader, I would be alarmed that a single US tech monopoly can, at the push of a button, at the whim of their CEO or the US administration, effectively stop my country functioning normally.”
Worse, in many countries, the powers-that-be seem really proud to push the internet and promote online services for essential state services, healthcare, taxes and such. Yet all I see is those countries gleefully putting their collective heads into the US lion’s mouth without even realizing it.
Being more independent from US monopolies isn’t just a nice-to-have that has gotten a bit more pressing lately: it’s been an absolute emergency for decades, and nobody gives a flying fuck. This has always been utterly baffling to me.
I assume it was not short-sightness for many:
That’s nice that he knew. But here’s the thing: the quiet but very real strangehold major US monopolies have on everybody’s lives on Earth reached five-bell alarm levels decades ago, yet nobody seems to be even dimly aware of it.
I now live outside the US, and in all the countries I’ve lived in, I kept thinking “If I was this country’s leader, I would be alarmed that a single US tech monopoly can, at the push of a button, at the whim of their CEO or the US administration, effectively stop my country functioning normally.”
Worse, in many countries, the powers-that-be seem really proud to push the internet and promote online services for essential state services, healthcare, taxes and such. Yet all I see is those countries gleefully putting their collective heads into the US lion’s mouth without even realizing it.
Being more independent from US monopolies isn’t just a nice-to-have that has gotten a bit more pressing lately: it’s been an absolute emergency for decades, and nobody gives a flying fuck. This has always been utterly baffling to me.