On April 2, 2025, invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), Donald Trump declared a national emergency to initiate sweeping tariff policies. This decision not only breached conventional constitutional constraints on executive power but also reshaped global trade norms through the "national security exception." This paper conducts an in-depth analysis from three dimensions—constitutional logic, economic impact, and international order—to unravel the underlying power dynamics and systemic risks. I. Constitutional Crisis: Unfettered Expansion of Executive Power 1. Subversive Reconstruction of Legal Frameworks 1.1 Core Contradictions in Constitutional Disputes Article I of the U.S. Constitution explicitly vests trade authority in Congress, yet Trump leveraged IEEPA §1702 to redefine "supply chain risks" as national security threats, thereby expanding executive powers. The "judicial deference to national security" principle established ...
Trump Unveils 2025 Tariff Plan: Risk of Global Trade War Resurfaces as Allies and Adversaries Alike Condemn the Move
In April 2025, the U.S. declared a "national emergency" and implemented a blanket 10% baseline tariff policy, marking a new era of turbulence for the global trading system. Based on existing trade policy logic and historical precedents, its impacts can be analyzed across five dimensions: 1. Mounting Pressure on Global Trade Rules Reconstruction WTO Framework Faces Legitimacy Crisis By invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) rather than WTO exception clauses, the U.S. effectively bypasses multilateral rules. According to Peterson Institute models, if other nations follow suit with unilateral actions, the WTO dispute settlement mechanism could face a 60%+ case backlog, forcing more countries to pivot toward regional agreements. Accelerated Regionalization of Trade The EU has launched its "Emergency Trade Alliance Initiative," proposing zero tariffs on 85% of industrial goods among member states. Asean-China-Japan-South Korea free trade talk...