Overview
- Trump has turned tariffs into coercive levers aimed at reshaping economic and political alliances
- July’s Turnberry deal capped U.S.-EU duties at around 15 percent, with reciprocal tariffs taking effect on August 7
- A 90-day truce with China was extended on August 11, preserving reduced peak rates and creating a formal consultation mechanism
- Spanish commentators argue the EU’s compromise deal undercuts Macron’s and Merz’s visions of a sovereign, independent Europe
- China, India and Brazil have maintained resistance to U.S. tariff measures, highlighting the limits of Washington’s leverage