Christopher Padilla | Substack

Christopher Padilla

As a former executive at IBM and former Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, Chris has over 30 years of global experience in technology and trade trends.

Launched 2 years ago

Christopher Padilla

Senior Advisor at the Brunswick Group. Former U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade.

Christopher Padilla

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Christopher PadillaMay 30

The history of the past 17 months of trade talks tells us a great deal about how well the White House negotiates with partners that aren’t pushovers — and suggests that whatever Iran “deal” emerges will be vague, fuzzy, confusing, and probably unenforceable.

Christopher Padilla

The Art of the Fudge

Christopher PadillaMay 12

Last year, I wrote on Substack about my trade deficit with the grocery store. Shockingly, the tariffs I imposed on myself have not remedied the problem. So, taking my advocacy to the next level, I recently testified before the U.S. Trade Representative's Section 301 investigation panel about a national security threat hiding in plain sig…

[**The Kumquat Conspiracy: A Section 301 Petition**
Readers of this Substack might remember my decision last year to impose tariffs on myself because of my trade deficit with the grocery store. Shockingly, one year later, my grocery store still has a huge surplus with my household, and is even charging me more for my groceries. In response, I’m considering further increasing the tariffs on myself. That w…
\nChristopher Padilla](https://christopherpadilla1.substack.com/p/the-kumquat-conspiracy-a-section)

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Christopher PadillaMay 3

At the US-China summit in a few weeks, Beijing will see a United States with significantly depleted precision munitions stockpiles, strained alliances in the Indo-Pacific, and dependence on Chinese supply chains to rearm. It will assess that its own economy, while not unscathed by the oil shock, has weathered the crisis better than most.…

Christopher Padilla

The Quiet Winner of the Iran War

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Christopher PadillaApr 29

Economic sanctions, such as a blockade, are a powerful tool for demonstrating resolve and imposing costs. But they are not a magic wand that will bring an isolated and determined adversary to its knees. As we saw with sanctions on Russia, economic warfare does not produce strategic miracles.

Christopher Padilla

From Russia With Lessons

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Christopher PadillaApr 12

Christopher Padilla

The Cost of Chaos

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Christopher PadillaMar 29

Twenty-one days. That’s how much time until oil executives and industry experts estimate the economic and market fallout from the war will sharply escalate if the Strait of Hormuz isn’t reopened.

By closing the Strait, Iran has changed the war's strategic calculus. The conflict was started by the U.S. and Israel to disarm and dislodge the…

Christopher Padilla

The Chokepoint of Hormuz

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Christopher Padilla

The Echo of Narrow Waters

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