Author Archives: F. E. Guerra-Pujol

Did you know that literary giant Mario Vargas Llosa was once the leading presidential candidate in the 1990 Peruvian general election? Although Vargas Llosa won the first round with a narrow plurality, his opponent, Alberto Fujimori, won the election in the … Continue reading →

I was first introduced to the great Mario Vargas Llosa in college — I was a Spanish literature and political philosophy major — and instantly became a fan of his classical liberal politics and a lifelong reader of his works. … Continue reading →

Via Wikipedia: “If I Didn’t Love You” is a song recorded by country music singers Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood, released on July 23, 2021, as the first single from Aldean’s 2021 studio album Macon, Georgia …

Conclusion: A Smithian Defense of Donald Trump’s Trade Madness? I will conclude my “Smith versus Trump” series today by explaining why, when it comes to trade policy, Adam Smith and Donald Trump might be on the same page, after all. … Continue reading →

Previously (see here), I explained why Adam Smith’s so-called “humanitarian” exception to free trade does not apply to President Donald Trump’s despotic “liberation day” anti-trade decree. Simply put, Smith’s humanitarian argument applies only to tariffs that are already in place, … Continue reading →

[Update: Yesterday afternoon (9 April), President Trump reduced his country-specific tariffs down to a universal 10% rate for all trade partners, except for China. See here, here, and here. Note: Trump’s universal 10% baseline rate went into effect today; only … Continue reading →

Previously, I have surveyed Adam Smith’s four exceptions to free trade in Book IV, Chapter 2 of The Wealth of Nations (see my recap here), but at the same time I have left open the $64 question of their application … Continue reading →

I hate to be “that guy” — especially among my fellow libertarian friends — but the more I study the law and economics of tariffs in U.S. history, the more I realize that my colleague and co-author (see here) Salim … Continue reading →

In anticipation of my talk at an upcoming symposium this spring on “The Age of Trump: Projecting Policy and Legal Impacts in a Second Term” at the University of Saint Thomas (UST), I began blogging on Adam Smith’s timeless argument … Continue reading →