Trump's AI Playbook Has Napoleon Written All Over It
Throughout history, trade barriers have been double-edged swords. The problem is, if you initiate sanctions as a weapon, your enemies will inevitably find ways around them: wooing stronger friends, launching reciprocal punishments, finding black markets, sending in the Gungans, etc. When the Megarians of classical Greece were banned from Athenian markets because they trod on some goddess or other's sacred soil, they wooed Sparta and triggered the Peloponnesian War — which did not end well for democracy. Likewise, the Oil Shocks of the early 1970s spurred the US to (very slowly) innovate on fuel efficiency and (more immediately) trade in gas guzzlers for Japanese compacts and Detroit firetraps. And US sanctions against the Castros' Cuba have forced the little island to become self-sufficient in ventilators, condom-aged wine and washer-dryer coconut shredders.
But perhaps nobody learned this lesson in unintended consequences better than Le Petit Caporal himself. 1 Napoleon's Continental System, a pretty clever plan to shut Britain off from trade with Europe, is an object lesson. It might have seemed like the UK, an island nation at the mercy of trade, would be a pretty easy target for an embargo. But that's where the skill, bravery and abject cruelty of the Royal Navy come in. And Marc Isambard Brunel.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Entrepreneur
a minute ago
- Entrepreneur
Stop Duct-Taping Your Tech Stack Together: This All-in-One Tool Is Hundreds of Dollars Off
Sellful combines the best parts of 25+ SaaS tools and lets you take the credit. Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you'll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. If your agency's tech stack looks like a graveyard of subscriptions and browser tabs, you're not alone. CRMs, funnel builders, invoicing software, schedulers—it's a lot. And worse? None of it talks to each other. And then there's Sellful. This all-in-one, white-label business suite is designed specifically for entrepreneurs and agencies who are tired of duct-taping 15 apps together just to run a business. For just $349.97, you're getting lifetime access to a platform that would normally set you back nearly $1,500—and that's before the monthly SaaS costs you're already juggling. So what does it do? Almost everything, including websites, CRMs, email and SMS marketing, sales funnels, appointment schedulers, online courses, project management, POS, HR tools, and even AI-powered automation to tie it all together. There's also a full-blown ERP system with client portals, contract signing, chat, and ticketing—all white labeled, so it looks like your own custom software. For agencies, it's a no-brainer: Sellful lets you spin up client sites, automate invoicing, manage social posts, and even onboard new leads—all from one dashboard with your branding front and center. You get 10 sites/sub-accounts included, and each can have unlimited contacts, pages, products, and users. Whether you're running a digital agency, launching an online education brand, or juggling eCommerce projects, Sellful is your tech cofounder. No code. No monthly fees. Just clean design, powerful features, and serious time-saving potential. Own your brand, simplify your backend, and scale like a boss. Get lifetime access to Sellful for just $349.97 (MSRP: $1,497) for a limited time. Sellful – White Label Website Builder & Software: ERP Agency Plan (Lifetime) See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.
Wall Street Journal
2 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
How to Rein In Bureaucrats
Regarding 'Climate Regulation Liberation Day,' kudos to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and Energy Secretary Chris Wright for their efforts to reverse costly regulations that had been imposed by unelected bureaucrats (Review & Outlook, July 30). Congressional Republicans could codify these efforts by finally passing the Reins (Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny) Act into law.
New York Times
2 minutes ago
- New York Times
OPEC Plus Will Increase Oil Output
Eight countries that belong to the oil cartel known as OPEC Plus said Sunday that they would boost oil production by 547,000 barrels a day beginning in September, the latest in a series of monthly increases that began in April. The move, in effect, reverses a program of 2.2 million barrels a day in output cuts that was put in place in 2023 to tighten supply and prop up the markets. The announcement from OPEC Plus was expected and so may have little impact on prices. 'We expect a limited negative market reaction,' analysts at the investment bank Jefferies said in a note to clients after the announcement. After years of pursuing production restraints, the group, led by Saudi Arabia, is taking advantage of what analysts view as a relatively short-term window in the oil market to boost output. The United Arab Emirates and other countries have chafed at restraints on production that have opened the way for the United States and other producers outside OPEC Plus to pump more oil. In addition, Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing countries appear to have an interest in pleasing President Trump, who wants lower gasoline prices for American drivers. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
