Protectionism in the USA
Analysis
BBC
4.6 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 30 May 2016
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Edward Stourton examines America's long history of resistance to free trade, and asks why it has again become such a potent political force. Donald Trump's most consistent policy has been opposition to free trade agreements which he sees as unfair, particularly with China. On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders has been equally opposed, if for different reasons, while Hillary Clinton has had to tack away from her previous support for free trade pacts. Edward looks back to debates from the 19th century to the 1990s to shed new light on these forces. And he asks whether the protectionist impulse is a natural reaction to globalisation's wrenching changes. Producer: Smita Patel.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Thanks for downloading analysis from the BBC. |
| 0:02.8 | Now here's a question. |
| 0:04.4 | What's the policy that unite Donald Trump, |
| 0:07.1 | Bernie Sanders and increasingly Hillary Clinton? |
| 0:10.6 | Here with the answer is Edward Stirton. |
| 0:13.0 | I'm driving down Cameron Street in a place called Stilton in Pennsylvania |
| 0:18.0 | and if you want to know why trade looms so large in this presidential campaign |
| 0:22.0 | you only have to look over on my right. |
| 0:24.0 | They'd be making steel here since the 1860s and some is coming off the production line today |
| 0:28.8 | but mostly over here I can see nothing but mile upon mile of empty warehouses piles of |
| 0:34.7 | rusting pipes and silent plants. Of course many of the problems here date back a |
| 0:40.1 | long time but competition in particular competition from China is being blamed for |
| 0:44.1 | many of America's problems in manufacturing today and the steel industry say that they've |
| 0:48.8 | had the layoff 12,000 workers in the last year because of competition from China. and |
| 0:55.0 | because of competition from China. |
| 0:54.0 | I have been banging this drum for going on 15 years now, |
| 0:58.0 | and it's a story that no one has wanted to hear. |
| 1:01.0 | Our national leaders have utterly failed to take action. I loathe |
| 1:05.6 | Mr. Trump, but unfortunately this issue which is very salient has been left on the table |
| 1:12.4 | for a demagogue like him to take advantage of. |
| 1:17.0 | The anguish there of one of those mainstream Republicans who resent the way their party has, as |
| 1:22.1 | they see it, been hijacked. |
... |
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