Chapter 12: Democracy, International Economics, and Current United States Trade Policy: What Citizens Need to Know

The theme of the 2018 conference of the Social Science Education Consortium (SSEC) held in Florence, Italy, was Democracy at a Crossroads: Examining the Past and Facing the Future. The theme suggests that attention needs to be paid to the elements of democracy in this chapter, recognizing that democracy and its manifestations are quite different in the countries of the world. To begin the chapter, the foundations of United States democracy are summarized. The elements of democracy will be used later in the chapter during a discussion of international trade issues. Next, I present the bare bones economics of international trade and major concepts related to trade. The economic principles of trade should enable the reader to better grasp the complexities of trade issues. This is a topic that affects all countries of the world, both democratic and non-democratic. Following the discussion of the economics of international trade I will examine international trade issues of the current United States federal government, particularly the current international trade policies of President Donald Trump. The chapter ends with a statement of concerns about our economy and democracy.