South Korean crony capitalism under fire

Forget Machiavelli, or “Game of Thrones.” When it comes to staying in power, South Korea’s richest business clans have the game plan down. [Jonathan Soble, Jeyup S. Kwaak & ChoeSang-Hung] May 8th, 2017 [The New York Times] There is the charity maneuver, in which family members park their stakes in their business empires in philanthropic nonprofits,…

Commerce secretary warns Canada against ‘retaliatory action’ on lumber tariff

Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross on Saturday doubled down on the imposition of tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber, saying they were not based on “political considerations” and that “threats of retaliatory action” are “inappropriate.” [REBECCA MORIN] May 6th, 2017 [Politico]  “The Department of Commerce’s recent preliminary decision to impose tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber was…

How Mexico’s Unions Sell Out Autoworkers

Wage contracts are inked years before plants open and workers never get a say. At a ceremony at Mexico’s Los Pinos presidential residence in July 2014, BMW Chief Executive Officer Harald Krüger pledged to spend $1 billion to build a factory in the northern state of San Luis Potosí that will employ 1,500 workers. To…

Trump trade chief: Our trade policy is already working

A strong historic defense of American workers and domestic manufacturers aptly summarizes the first 100 days of the Trump Administration’s trade policy. [Peter Navarro] May 2nd, 2017 [CNN] On his first working day in office, President Trump terminated one of the worst trade deals ever proposed: the Trans-Pacific Partnership. TPP would have further eroded the…