From an economic point of view, the Atlantic alliance currently presents a contradictory picture. The vision of the beginning of an 'Atlantic century' ('pax atlantica') and a 'global anchor of prosperity and stability' in the middle of a world economy shaken by crises contrasts with the reality of escalating trade conflicts between the European Union and the United States and the renewed growth of protectionism - above all in the USA - aimed against third countries. This protectionism is directed primarily against cheap imports from Asia, Russia and Latin America, and makes it harder for these regions to overcome their economic difficulties.
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