> The only proper response is subtle economic war on the part of the US directed at France and Germany. And we will do exactly that. We'll use every practical l

> The only proper response is subtle economic war on the part of the US directed at France and Germany. And we will do exactly that. We'll use every practical lever we possess to harm their corporations in retribution. It's fair game. This has been going on since the beginning of time. Governments take stronger action against foreign entities than domestic ones. US turned a blind eye to GM knowingly allowing over 100 people to be killed due to a known faulty part but burned VW for the pollution. EU turned a blind eye to VW polluting but burned Apple for antitrust violations. Both unions acted well within law and reason when fining the foreign entities. But this is how things go. Local lobbies are usually far stronger than foreign ones so the path of least resistance means you can easier enact justice on foreign companies. > It's a mistake on the part of the EU, the US is radically stronger in every respect. It's stronger because it has allies like the EU. There's the distinct risk that every ally that the US alienates invariably turns to the East. And it's not like anyone (US included, not counting armchair warriors) wants any kind of open conflict (military or economic), this shoots everyone in the foot. Sometimes even when on the winning side people may be less prepared for the hardships of such conflict than the ones on the losing side.