Mexico Raises US Tariffs - Who is in the Wrong?

Recently, Mexico raised tariffs against 90 US products, some taxes increasing to 20%.  The reason given was US failure to honor a NAFTA commitment 14 years ago, granting  looser restrictions on Mexican delivery trucks America.  A NAFTA committee ruling puts us at fault, and admittedly the entire process of escapist ignorance was started in the Clinton administration, and continued to this day.  Currently, many goods are transfered to American trucks shortly after crossing the border, allegedly because Mexican trucks are too unsafe to be on American roads.  An international random inspection program determined more American trucks to be in violation of standard regulations (21.6% - 20.7%).  US response to the tariff is expected to be minimal, because it only covers about 1.5% of our exports to Mexico.  Also no one cares.  About Mexico.

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Justified or not, this tariff is an example of a distancing between our countries in a time when cooperation is necessary.  Without working together, neither country can tackle the drug problem - Mexico lacks resources, US lacks access.  And America needs to be held accountable for the treaties it makes.  Used more popularly in our history as a protective measure for domestic industries, tariffs can be, and now are, used as a means to influence foreign powers.  And in an increasingly globalized economy, we at least need to keep geographically close countries on good terms.

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