The role of tariffs in the current geopolitical turmoil

Abstract

Recent developments in U.S. trade policy provide growing evidence that tariffs are no longer used primarily as instruments of import protection. Instead, they have increasingly become tools of geopolitical pressure, economic security policy, and institutional contestation within domestic governance. This article examines the evolving role of tariffs in the current geopolitical turmoil, focusing on the transformation of U.S. tariff practice and its implications for the multilateral trading system. It argues that this shift affects not only international trade relations but also the internal constitutional balance between the executive and legislative branches. The analysis further considers the economic and systemic consequences of this evolution, including trade diversion, distributional effects within the domestic economy, and the potential adaptation of the WTO framework to accommodate these changes.