We are at war. It is a war of choice. It is a Trumpian war, both vacuous and malicious in nature and intent. It is beyond stupidity. It is an axiom as plain as: Aim weapon at target. Turn the weapon 180 degrees. Fire weapon at face. Reload. Repeat.

 After 80 years of world order, an order created and sustained by the United States following World
War II and resulting in sustained stability in the developed world, Mr. Trump has chosen to deconstruct the post-war peace for reasons far from rationality and justifications apart from benefit to the nation. Trump makes his tariff policy personal, not aimed at protecting specific U.S. industries, but at bullying any leader or nation who responds to the irresponsible tariffs with disdain.

 Worse still, he has done so by vilifying our allies and friends. Canada has been one of our best trading partners and loyal friends throughout history. Canadians rightfully feel betrayed by Trump’s insults to their leaders and calls to end Canadian independence. Trump’s actions here are simply malicious.

It is a war of choice Trump ca not win and should never have initiated, should never have conceived, should never have so disregarded history as to formulate this incredible act of foolishness. It is a trade war, but so much more and worse for America.

It is a war only a fool would embrace because we know how trade wars end. We already tried this absurd policy in 1930, with the Smoot-Hawley Act, establishing punishing tariffs against our trading partners. The results were both predictable and disastrous. Within two years, the U.S. and worldwide trade fell by 60 percent (Britannia), leading the world into The Great Depression.

As a result of the vacuous Trump policies, prices for American consumers will rise unpredictably across all areas of demand, causing the existing decline in consumer confidence since Trump’s inauguration to soar. Inflation, only recently falling to acceptable levels, will be beyond any efforts by the Federal Reserve Board to control.

However, it is not solely trade that will create chaos. National Public Radio reports that Canadians’ travel to the U.S. may be severely curtailed by the anger our good neighbors in the north feel towards Trump’s policies. We can anticipate similar travel reductions from the tariffs just this week levied against Great Britain and the European Union, along with our Asian allies and friends. Tourism is a major driver of the U.S. economy and is hard to restore when international anger with U.S. actions drives away our friends and trading partners.

Beyond trade and tourism, the U.S. will be moving from a strong and stable economy inherited by Trump to the potential of stagflation, an economic state in which inflation and recession combine to prevent the economy from recovering.

Still, these are not the only effects we can expect from this self-inflicted wound on the nation. The dollar, the world’s go-to reserve currency, will be under attack as the trade wars expand and international trade shrinks. A devalued dollar could result in other nations refusing to buy U.S. debt.

Finally, Mr. Trump is, by his willful disregard for the postwar stability created by the presidents before him, undermining the core accomplishments of peace that free trade has allowed. When trade falls and trust declines, nations can motivate their people to see other nations as enemies and adversaries, opening avenues to discord across the globe.

This president is pursuing a path from which there is no easy retreat, no simple path to restore the damage already done and still unfolding. It is the proverbial challenge of getting the genie back into the bottle. The president has claimed a national emergency to grant himself these destructive powers. Congress must withdraw this authority from Mr. Trump to protect the nation.

Jim Crawford is a retired educator and political enthusiast living here in the Tri-State.