Few who know Robert Lighthizer consider him gentle company. Long before protectionism became de rigueur for Washington’s politicians, Lighthizer was espousing tough positions against US trade partners and hostility toward the WTO. Even so, while many disagreed with his views, no one doubted he was a formidable operator who understood the politics of trade and the intricacies of trade policy. His tenure was marked by the clever use of US statutes and an understanding of how the global trading system functioned. Even his negotiating opponents respected him and were even known to enjoy a drink in his company, Keith Rockwell writes. As the world reels from the trade chaos in the second Trump administration, could a sense of yearning be brewing for a return to the age of Lighthizer? To measure the impact of the Trump administration’s tariff policies on global trade, Visual Capitalist illustrates the US$450 billion breakdown using the UN’s new Trade Intelligence and Negotiation Adviser simulation database. See what we have been reading on China's chokehold on critical minerals and other recent trade issues. Kati Suominen assays how getting digital trade and ASEAN's DEFA right may never be more critically important for the region than it is now.
TRADE POLICY
Why we (sort of) miss Bob Lighthizer
Keith Rockwell 17 June 2025
Few who know Robert Lighthizer consider him gentle company. Long before protectionism became de rigueur for Washington’s politicians, Donald Trump’s first USTR was espousing tough positions against US trade partners and hostility toward the WTO. Even so, while many disagreed with his views, no one doubted he was a formidable operator who understood the politics of trade and the intricacies of trade policy. His tenure was marked by the clever use of US statutes and an understanding of how the global trading system functioned. His negotiating opponents respected him and were even known to enjoy a drink in his company. As the world reels from the trade chaos in Trump 2.0, our Senior Research Fellow Keith Rockwell asks: Could a sense of yearning be brewing for a return to the age of Lighthizer?
Breaking up is expensive to do. Globalization and the rise of global trade for long made it cheaper and easier to live better, but the Trump administration’s tariff policies are taking a big hit on growth prospects and how the world engages with each other in trade. To measure their impact, Visual Capitalist illustrates the US$450 billion breakdown here, using the new UN Trade Intelligence and Negotiation Adviser simulation database. The biggest hits are expected in China, the EU, and Japan, but the US doesn’t escape either.
The US and China came to a new agreement this week, with China standing down on export controls of critical minerals necessary to key US industries. The Trump administration raised tariffs on steel and aluminum and products made with them as the OECD and others predict economic slowdowns. The race for new sources of critical minerals and US abandonment of engagement in Africa are reshaping trade and geopolitics. Check out what we’ve been reading.
The integrated intraregional market is increasingly important for ASEAN, and nowhere more so than in digital services. As the Association of Southeast Asian Nations tries to close a Digital Economy Framework Agreement by the end of 2025, a rising dependence on intra-regional trade-driven growth hangs in the balance. Hinrich Foundation Research Fellow Kati Suominen explores why and how DEFA would help the regional economy.
