Iconoclastic economist Jeff Rubin argues Canada might need to ally with Russia or China as the US turns away. A Tyee Q&A.
Jeff Rubin is the former chief economist for CIBC World Markets and is the bestselling author of a number of popular economics books that have tried to explain how the world is changing and departing from the norms of the 20th century to a more unsettled era of scarcity, inequality, natural disasters and war.
His previous books have warned about the end of cheap oil and explained how the middle class “got screwed” by globalization.
Rubin’s latest book is called The Map of the New Normal: How Inflation, War, and Sanctions Will Change Your World Forever, and it tackles the rapid inflation that hit economies across the globe in the wake of pandemic measures. The author is unapologetically realpolitik in his world view. At a book event last summer, he described his outlook as “more Game of Thrones than biblical good and evil.”
We decided to call Rubin up to ask him for his take on Donald Trump’s bellicose tariff threats against Canada and the American president’s repeated urging for Canada to join the United States.
Trade with? Sure, we already do that. Align with? Those guys don’t “align”. You are not a friend. You’re either under their control or you’re their enemy. Yes, the US is headed towards fascism but ideologically we essentially believe the same things. That’s why this situation is so hard to understand.
You’re not going to like what “switching sides” means. We’ll need to be on guard and at best weather this out. Maybe line up some more trade and travel deals with the EU. But inviting China or Russia, or joining BRICS, no way.