Freeland’s wise words

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland went to Washington this week and told Americans some blunt truths about the tariffs their president is imposing on Canada.

They are, she said, “protectionism pure and simple ... a naked example of the United States putting its thumb on the scale, in violation of the very rules it helped to write.”

That needed to be said. But Freeland’s speech deserves serious attention because it went far beyond a condemnation of U.S. actions at this particular moment in Washington’s relationship with Canada.

She laid out a powerful and persuasive case for the United States to keep on the path of building a comprehensive, rules-based order to promote trade and cooperation around the world.

The truth is that the U.S. largely dictated the rules of the system when it dominated what used to be called the “free world.” But other countries — notably China — have become powerful and Washington no longer gets its own way without question.

The temptation is to try and shove others around, to unleash a bully like Donald Trump to attack friend and foe alike. Freeland warned this is a dead end:

“You may feel today that your size allows you to go manoa-mano with your traditional adversaries and be guaranteed to win. But if history tells us one thing, it is that no one nation’s pre-eminence is eternal...

“As the West’s relative might inevitably declines, now is the time when, more than ever, we must set aside the idea that might is right. Now is the time to plant our flag on the rule of law — so that the rising powers are induced to play by these rules, too.”

These are wise words. The alternative is an international free-for-all in which everyone risks coming out poorer and the chance of open conflict is dramatically greater.

Trump may be a lost cause. But it’s important to remind Americans that they have chosen a better path in the past, and can do so again in the future.