Book contents
- On Trade War
- On Trade War
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Chronologies
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Trade War and Hegemony
- Part I The Foundations of Trade War
- 2 The Theory and Practice of Trade War in the Ancient Mediterranean
- 3 The Three Ages of Mercantilism
- 4 The Liberal Ideology of Trade, Peace, and Democracy
- 5 Discrimination, Alliances, and the Rule of Law
- Part II Trade War in the Anglo-American Hegemonies
- Part III Trade War between the United States and China
- Annotated Bibliography
- Index
5 - Discrimination, Alliances, and the Rule of Law
from Part I - The Foundations of Trade War
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 July 2026
Book contents
- On Trade War
- On Trade War
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Chronologies
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Trade War and Hegemony
- Part I The Foundations of Trade War
- 2 The Theory and Practice of Trade War in the Ancient Mediterranean
- 3 The Three Ages of Mercantilism
- 4 The Liberal Ideology of Trade, Peace, and Democracy
- 5 Discrimination, Alliances, and the Rule of Law
- Part II Trade War in the Anglo-American Hegemonies
- Part III Trade War between the United States and China
- Annotated Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Chapter 5 reviews the tensions that arise between the Liberal ideology’s broader goal of establishing and enforcing the rule of law, including sovereign equality, and states’ perennial interest in using trade as an instrument of influence. The multilateral system is founded upon a bedrock principle of non-discrimination, and yet statesmen have a natural desire to treat allies better than adversaries. The chapter explores how philosophers and statesmen manage these tensions in theory and in practice, distinguishing first between the ideas on the left and the right and then between the strategies of the British and American hegemons. This introduction to the two leaders’ differing objectives and styles sets up the detailed histories that follow.
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- On Trade War , pp. 127 - 154Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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