or immigrants . It ’s global money influencing our politics . Protecting our democracy requires two steps that Trump and his leading supporters oppose :
" We have to make the effort to explain how we want to shape globalization in a fair way , " Gabriel said . Trump has opposed the White House ’s push for international trade pacts , alleging that such deals were shipping jobs overseas , and would harm the U.S. working and middle class . Trump has also often said that high duties targeting importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentryfrom countries such as China and Mexico would force companies to move production to the U.S and prevent U.S. companies from moving overseas . He also described German Chancellor Angela Merkel 's open door policy towards refugees as " insane " and predicted it would cause rioting in Germany . Pope Francis also weighed in on Trump 's agenda , suggesting Trump “ is not Christian ” because of his campaign promises to deport more immigrants and force Mexico to pay for a wall along the border .
Official figures state that food prices rose by 14 percent during 2015 . Experts and many ordinary Russians estimate the real increase was at least 30 percent . The situation worsened after the Kremlin slapped a ban on many Western food importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentryin 2014 during the height of tensions over Moscow 's annexation of Ukraine 's Crimea peninsula and alleged meddling in Ukraine ’s civil war . 3 . Taxes
Between 2006 and 2015 , it 's share of exports rose 88 percent . Most were destined for other Asian countries , including Pakistan . SIPRI noted that Beijing " is increasingly capable of producing its own advanced weapons and has become less dependent on arms importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentry, " which fell 25 percent in the recent reporting period . But China , wrote researchers , " remains partly dependent on imports for some key weapons and components , including large transport aircraft and helicopters , and engines for aircraft , vehicles and ships . " For the first time , China 's weapons exports exceeded those of France , long one of Europe 's top arms sellers .
That was n’t symbolic , although it could have been had someone set the trash on fire . Trump ’s entire plan to create jobs relies on trade protectionism – the single most debunked economic fallacy of the last two centuries , an idea so bad that it has largely reduced Latin America , which bought into “ dependency theory , ” to poverty and food riots . Trump ’s theory seems to be that if we increase the price of importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentry, make it more difficult for American companies to export , and punish American companies for locating overseas , this ridiculous combination of counterproductive policies will result in alchemist economic gold . Trump began by stating that the workers of America have been repaid for their hard work with “ betrayal . ” What , exactly , was the betrayal ? Was it the corporatism Trump backs ?
Russia is now the top crude exporter to China , the largest ( or second largest , depending on whom you ask ) oil demand growth country in the world . At the start of the decade , Saudi Arabia enjoyed a 20 % share of Chinese crude importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentry, while Russia was lagging far behind with 7 % . Now the Saudis find themselves neck and neck with Moscow for the lead in Chinese market share , with both performing in the 13 - 16 % range . But Russia 's share continues to rise , as The Kingdom struggles to maintain a foothold .
Shale has become a dominant source of fossil fuels in the United States , thanks to a controversial process known as fracking . It wrings natural gas out of bedrock in a process that was once not considered profitable for extracting oil or natural gas . The process is efficient enough that the country 's dependence on petroleum importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentryhas declined precipitously . We wondered if the Clinton team wants to shut down fracking and the natural gas it produces . Trump 's evidence
For instance : The most egregious example of the administration ’s effort to slow down the sanctions drive came in late 2011 , when Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez openly chastised top administration officials for opposing an amendment to sanction the Central Bank of Iran that he had co - authored with Sen. Mark Kirk . Leading administration officials including Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman publicly expressed “ strong opposition ” ( PDF ) to the amendment , arguing that it would anger allies by opening them up for punishment if they did not significantly reduce their importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentryof Iranian oil . Clinton ’s top deputies fought the amendment at every step of the legislative process . Clinton ’s # 2 at the State Department , Bill Burns , even joined an emergency meeting with top senators to urge them to drop the amendment .
And the Venezuelan government has accused Washington of inciting conflict so it can take control of the largest oil reserves in the world . This even as at it continues to sell oil to the United States , which means by its own logic it is filling the tank of its imagined invader . The truth is , though , that while oil importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentryfrom Venezuela represent only about 9 % of American needs , the United States remains the biggest buyer of Venezuelan oil exports . Do the math and you can see why the government 's rhetoric is divorced from economic reality . Cuba , which blames the infamous U.S. embargo for all its problems , has managed to restore diplomatic relations with the United States after some 50 years .
The most significant element of the Republican Party platform , however , is what it says about foreign policy — asserting that the United States must subordinate the entire world to the interests of American corporations . “ We can not allow foreign governments to limit American access to their markets while stealing our designs , patents , brands , know - how , and technology , ” it proclaims . “ We can not allow China to continue its currency manipulation , exclusion of US products from government purchases , and subsidization of Chinese companies to thwart American importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentry. ” In the Middle East , it calls for forcing out Assad in Syria , going to war with Hezbollah in Lebanon , repudiating the Obama administration ’s deal with Iran , expanding the war in Iraq and unconditionally supporting Israel . The platform backs the arming of Ukraine against Russia and pledges to “ meet the return of Russian belligerence with the same resolve that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union . ”
2 . Falsely said , " We are now , for the first time ever , energy independent . " ( Wrote the Associated Press : “ For the first time in decades the United States gets more energy domestically than it imports , but it is not yet energy independent , as the country continues to rely on oil importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentryfrom the Mideast and elsewhere . ” ) 3 . Falsely said , of Trump ’s talk of her emails , “ everything he just said is absolutely false . ” ( Trump made at least some correct statements , including that 33,000 emails were deleted . )