because you have the WTO, the US can declare retaliatory tariffs within a generally accepted framework. There's less debate and uncertainty about the legitimac

because you have the WTO, the US can declare retaliatory tariffs within a generally accepted framework. There's less debate and uncertainty about the legitimacy of the retaliation, and its better understood than the advanced kremlinology required to decipher some other things. Not many things are panacea, but things like the WTO have been pretty useful at avoiding trade wars IMO.