Why Politicians Lie About Trade: ... and What You Need to Know About It

WHY POLITICIANS LIE ABOUT TRADE explains how international trade in goods and services actually works - and the compromises and concessions nations must make to take part in this $32 trillion-a-year jamboree: the greatest commercial show on earth.

Daily we can see the fruits of international trade on display on the shelves of shops, from American Oranges to Chinese mobile phones to Kenyan coffee. But hidden from view is the geopolitical wiring that allows global cross-border trade to happen at all: a network of treaties, tariffs, taxes and disputes that is remote and unintelligible to most people. Until now.

With clear, often humorous writing and case studies, former trade negotiator Dmitry Grozoubinski takes readers through the intricacies and surprises of global commerce. He reveals the underlying political and geographical forces that shape trade policy and our everyday lives. He spells out the impact of trade treaties on topics such as food, jobs, gender, conflict and climate. And he reveals what politicians cover up about the system - and why it matters.

A companion to books such as How to Lie With Statistics, WHY POLITICIANS LIE ABOUT TRADE illuminates a much misunderstood and underestimated network that is vital to our modern interconnected world. With the US-China trade war, Brexit, and other disputes regularly hitting the headlines (and sometimes our nerves), grasping how trade actually works has never been more important.

Reviews

'I laughed more than I do in most comedies. I learned more than I do from the news. An absolute masterclass in how to communicate complex information simply and compellingly. You will come out of it far more knowledgeable than you went in, and shielded from some of the more egregious deceit politicians want to inflict on you. You'll also laugh out loud. - Ian Dunt, author of How Westminster Works

'Enraging & enlightening in equal measure. And the measure is absolutely enormous.' - James O'Brien, author of How They Broke Britain

'Written by a former trade negotiator who has trained many British diplomats, this book is authoritative, yet - and here's the strange part - actually fun to read. Dmitry Grozoubinski has a rare knack for explaining complex information in an accessible and light-hearted way. 'This book should be read by everyone who needs a shield from "opportunistic politicians relying on the density of the subject matter to peddle easy answers, simple narratives, and misleading twaddle".' - Richard Baldwin, Professor of International Economics