What I don't understand is why other countries didn't make the threat to make any tariffs hold for a year or longer. That would scare Trump away from doing these stupid experiments.
Why would other countries inflict that sort of self harm? It would be a bluff, and everyone knows it. If it wasn't a bluff, you would be out next election.
There is something to be said for stable economic policy making. EU could say that they're not going to be a leaf in the wind, and it would be a totally understandable position.
The whole point of imposing retaliatory tariffs is that it puts pressure on the aggressor to give up, on the basis that you will then immediately drop the retaliatory tariffs. The point is to produce a quick end. Retaliatory tariffs with a _minimum_ duration would be counterproductive.
I suppose you could have a kind of tariff equivalent of the doomsday machine from Dr Strangelove, in principle; a set of automatic measures to come into force if the adversary does [whatever]. However, Trump strikes me as a bit of a General Ripper, so it might not be a _great_ idea.
