Trade Wars Are Class Wars by Matthew C. Klein, Michael Pettis

Our book for March is Trade Wars Are Class Wars: How Rising Inequality Distorts the Global Economy and Threatens International Peace by Matthew C. Klein, Michael Pettis

For those who are interested, here is the link to the detailed results from the voting.

Here is a summary of the book (from Gemini):

We often talk about trade wars as if they are conflicts between nations—the U.S. versus China, or Germany versus its neighbors. But Trade Wars Are Class Wars argues that this framing is completely wrong. Instead, it posits that these international tensions are actually just the spillover effects of domestic inequality. The authors make a compelling case that when elites in countries like China or Germany suppress workers' wages to boost exports, they aren't just hurting their own people; they are destabilizing the entire global economy and forcing debt onto American consumers.

For our group, this book hits the sweet spot between the structural economic analysis we enjoyed in Capital in the Twenty-First Century and the geopolitical intrigue of Chip War. It takes the confusing noise of tariffs and trade deficits and organizes it into a clear, albeit disturbing, narrative about how the rich in one country effectively wage a class war against the poor in another. It’s a challenging read that flips the script on the daily news, offering exactly the kind of counter-intuitive 'big idea' discussion that usually leads to our best meetings.

This event will be hybrid. I will host the meeting in person at my house in Berkeley which is near the intersection of College Ave and Woolsey St. I will email people the address the Saturday before the meeting.

Here are the Google Meet details:
Google Meet link: https://meet.google.com/zem-xnbw-tuh
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 641-854-0146‬ PIN: ‪637 012 874‬#