Iconoclastic economist Jeff Rubin argues Canada might need to ally with Russia or China as the US turns away. A Tyee Q&A.
Jeff Rubin is the former chief economist for CIBC World Markets and is the bestselling author of a number of popular economics books that have tried to explain how the world is changing and departing from the norms of the 20th century to a more unsettled era of scarcity, inequality, natural disasters and war.
His previous books have warned about the end of cheap oil and explained how the middle class “got screwed” by globalization.
Rubin’s latest book is called The Map of the New Normal: How Inflation, War, and Sanctions Will Change Your World Forever, and it tackles the rapid inflation that hit economies across the globe in the wake of pandemic measures. The author is unapologetically realpolitik in his world view. At a book event last summer, he described his outlook as “more Game of Thrones than biblical good and evil.”
We decided to call Rubin up to ask him for his take on Donald Trump’s bellicose tariff threats against Canada and the American president’s repeated urging for Canada to join the United States.
Hot take but imperialism is bad actually. We shouldn’t be looking to replace the Americans’ grip with another great powers’.
Jumping from one bad partner to another just sounds like an idea born from desperation rather than rationality and self-love.
Like why not try harder to form partnerships with EU nations rather than Russia/China?
No thank you. Fuck Russia and fuck China, I would be open to trade and trade deals but anything more than that absolutely not.
And nothing permanent, I would only agree with trade deals that could be cancelled at will if, for example, China decided to invade Taiwan, and no trade deals with Russia until they stop trying to invade Ukraine.
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Id say europe, australia, and mexico are the way to go. I mean new zealand, japan, south korea, taiwan. Anyplace remotely normal.
Just agree to things and don’t do them.
If we can’t trust whatever Trump says, we can do that too. It would be hard to control things on the ground. They can complain to the higher ups and the higher ups can yell at the subordinates while patting them on the backRemoved by mod
Trade with? Sure, we already do that. Align with? Those guys don’t “align”. You are not a friend. You’re either under their control or you’re their enemy. Yes, the US is headed towards fascism but ideologically we essentially believe the same things. That’s why this situation is so hard to understand.
You’re not going to like what “switching sides” means. We’ll need to be on guard and at best weather this out. Maybe line up some more trade and travel deals with the EU. But inviting China or Russia, or joining BRICS, no way.
