Netizen: The Silence Around the Trade War Is What Worries Me Most

The Silence Around the Trade War Is What Worries Me Most

What worries me most about this trade war isn't just the tariffs, the retaliation, or the economic uncertainty—it’s the eerie silence. I see no real debate. I see no open, spirited exchange of ideas. No economists of different stripes locking intellectual horns. And that, to me, is far more troubling than any policy decision itself.

Where are the voices? Where is the discourse?

In moments like this, we should be seeing vigorous debate from across the spectrum—Keynesians, supply-siders, institutional economists, heterodox thinkers—arguing their positions, dissecting the impacts, offering competing visions. Trade wars are not small matters. They shape industries, livelihoods, and geopolitical balances. They deserve more than soundbites and silence.

But instead, there seems to be a kind of quiet resignation. Or worse, a lack of curiosity. Is it because the issue has become too politicized? Too complex? Too “handled” by policymakers behind closed doors?

I don't have all the answers. But I do know that robust public discourse is the lifeblood of a healthy democracy—and a functional economy. We need the economists, the trade experts, the historians, the policy wonks. We need panels, op-eds, podcasts, classroom debates. We need disagreement.

Because only through that friction can we truly understand what's at stake—and what our options really are.

So yes, the trade war itself concerns me. But the silence around it? That’s what bothers me more.

Trump’s Trade War