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Seems like both sides are puffing their chests out and gearing up for a trade war since Washington announced that it would ignore a NAFTA ruling in Canada's favour.

Canadian perspective:
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2005/08/26/1189386-cp.html

American Perspective:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/08/23/canada.lumber.ap/index.html


As proud as a Canadian that I am, I will acknowledge that we are probably going to come out on the short end of the stick here. But One has to acknowledge that anyone who pays attention to international politics and business will see the U.S. flexing it's muscle again and ignoring the NAFTA ruling makes it look like they only listen to the rules when it applies to them, and it is another strike against U.S. foreign relations.

Any comments?

Originally posted by KharmaDog
Seems like both sides are puffing their chests out and gearing up for a trade war since Washington announced that it would ignore a NAFTA ruling in Canada's favour.

Canadian perspective:
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2005/08/26/1189386-cp.html

American Perspective:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/08/23/canada.lumber.ap/index.html


As proud as a Canadian that I am, I will acknowledge that we are probably going to come out on the short end of the stick here. But One has to acknowledge that anyone who pays attention to international politics and business will see the U.S. flexing it's muscle again and ignoring the NAFTA ruling makes it look like they only listen to the rules when it applies to them, and it is another strike against U.S. foreign relations.

Any comments?

If there is a trade war, that will severely hurt Canda, but it will hardly hurt us. You'll see this alot.

It will hurt the U.S. to a small extent, the won't walk away unscathed. Where it really will hurt them is their continued decline in foreign relation s and image. With fewer and fewer allies it's kind of a stupid thing to flip the bird to another country and ignore NAFTA.

Canada might be best to focus it's trade energies towards other commonwealth countries if this were to happen I guess.

I support Canada wholeheartedly, and it's only partly because I'm Canadian. Sure Canada will definitely suffer, but by ignoring NAFTA the states are just proving yet again their "it's all about me," attitude. That really pisses me off, because regardless of what some people claim, America can not be completely independant, they rely on other countries too, and when all their trade agreements go to hell, they too will suffer.

If America suffers, the entire world will suffer with it

Canada has oil they don't. End of trade war.

This really comes as no surprise considering how much contempt the current Administration has already shown for international law or even their own legislative wing of government - John Bolton (?) appointed to the U.N. without Senate approval.

Originally posted by manny321
Canada has oil they don't.

Yeah, that really helped Iraq out too.

its pretty common policy for the US to use trade to force other countries into doing what they're told...even us brits..the so called "special friends" felt the wrath of the US who put import bans of several british products because UK companies refused to bow to the US demands of only importing bananas from US owned plantations

they get away with it because for the time being, there isn't another economy strong enough for other countries to turn to when the US places embargos on them...cue China

That's twisted, Jaden. The problem was us giving preferential treatment to Commonwealth plantations. We now import a mix of both.

Originally posted by KharmaDog
It will hurt the U.S. to a small extent, the won't walk away unscathed. Where it really will hurt them is their continued decline in foreign relation s and image. With fewer and fewer allies it's kind of a stupid thing to flip the bird to another country and ignore NAFTA.

Canada might be best to focus it's trade energies towards other commonwealth countries if this were to happen I guess.

Speaking of the commonwealth if Us-Canadian relations continue to heat up and there was a war who would GB side with?

Originally posted by jaden101
its pretty common policy for the US to use trade to force other countries into doing what they're told...even us brits..the so called "special friends" felt the wrath of the US who put import bans of several british products because UK companies refused to bow to the US demands of only importing bananas from US owned plantations

they get away with it because for the time being, there isn't another economy strong enough for other countries to turn to when the US places embargos on them...cue China

Well from what I've seen the tariff laws are not in our favor at all...It's hard to find anything called "Made in America" now that is of lower price the imports, including bananas...Yeah, even our fruit comes from Mexico and Chile, where ever...I've always thought the tariffs weren't fare for us. Though I haven't been keeping up on all the news...you have to look at all things fairly.....And other countries have bans on US products as well.....Or over tax US products in their countries, so that no one will by them.

Originally posted by debbiejo
Well from what I've seen the tariff laws are not in our favor at all...

However, the U.S. agreed to be apart of NAFTA and supposedly adhere to their rules and rulings. Yet when a judgement goes against them they thumb their nose at the system and make threats.

You can't have it both ways. If you think that the tariff laws are not in your favour, you go about changing them, you do not basically tell everyone to go f*ck themselves.

Originally posted by debbiejo
Well from what I've seen the tariff laws are not in our favor at all...It's hard to find anything called "Made in America" now that is of lower price the imports, including bananas...Yeah, even our fruit comes from Mexico and Chile, where ever...I've always thought the tariffs weren't fare for us. Though I haven't been keeping up on all the news...you have to look at all things fairly.....And other countries have bans on US products as well.....Or over tax US products in their countries, so that no one will by them.

being "made in america" isn't the issue...its the fact that they wanted us to import from US owned plantations...regardless of where they are...the economic benefit is still mainly to the US ...despite the fact that the plantations are in grenada, domenica, st vincent and st lucia

http://www.theecologist.org/current_issue/bent_bananas.htm