America’s foreign policy of coercion must end
The article argues that Washington responds to its closest allies deepening ties with each other by threatening tariffs and trade cut-offs. It cites Donald Trump's reaction to Ursula von der Leyen's proposal to make Canada the European Union's first-ever "associate member", his threats to seize Greenland by force and to impose tariffs on Brics nations seeking an alternative currency to the dollar, and a reported State Department letter warning partners against joining a China-led AI framework.
Why it matters: It illustrates the briefing's theme of economic coercion, in which tariff threats and trade cut-offs are used as instruments of statecraft in place of diplomacy.