Not for 10 years atleast. The biggest problem here is if the world’s suppliers and businesses will ever be able to trust US businesses again. Now, if it’s becoming very expensive to do business with the US, these world’s suppliers and businesses are finding other lucrative replacement markets, will they ever come back to US when it all calms down? Why would they when we can’t even keep our promises, especially when we randomly throw 20% tariffs in the middle of ongoing deal, why would they trust us again? Why should they?

I can tell you from extensive personal experiences that paperwork, contracts and statements are all good for lawyers and accountants. But at the end of the day, when I go abroad and shake hands with a foreign business, my word is my bond, and I am expected to deliver on my promises. When this faith is broken, it is extremely painful and very difficult to earn it back.

Trade war is not like a movie is ending at certain time. It will be much more challenging to rebuild trust with foreign businesses when it all calms down, when it will calm down. This issue has long-term ripple effects for the American economy from a strategic perspective.