Event

US at 250: Trade vs. Protectionism – America’s enduring economic debate

This event from UK think tank Chatham House assesses America’s struggle to balance independence, openness, and strategic competition in the global economy.

As the United States marks its 250th year, the debate over trade, protectionism, and America’s economic role in the world remains as alive as it was at the founding. The argument over whether the US economy should prioritise national self‑reliance or global integration began with Hamilton and Jefferson and has shaped American economic policy ever since. From early disputes over manufacturing and markets, through the post‑war liberal order, to today’s tariff battles, industrial policy revival, and strain on the WTO system, America’s economic history reveals the future direction of US trade policy — and the implications for allies, partners, and the global economy.

This session explores how that long arc of economic thought informs the current moment of strategic competition with China, renewed industrial policy, and growing scepticism of globalisation among Americans. Speakers will assess what these shifts mean for the future of US trade policy, how allies and partners should interpret Washington’s evolving economic posture, and what the next phase of American leadership — or retrenchment — could mean for the global economy and the institutions built to sustain it.

Speakers

Event chaired by Max Yoeli.

Max Yoeli – Senior Research Fellow, US and North America Programme

Heather Hurlburt – Associate Fellow, US and North America Programme

Professor Stephanie Rickard – Professor of Political Economy, Department of Government, London School of Economics

Irwin Stelzer – US economic and business columnist, The Sunday Times; Director, Hudson Institute, Hudson Institute