August marks one year since the Trump administration began its trade war with China. And yet, despite months of tit-for-tat with Beijing in the name of seeking freer trade, Americans are not experiencing an increased ability to buy from and sell to the Chinese. In fact, the White House has harmed relations with its closest allies in the process, and the freedom of Americans to trade with countries such as Canada and Mexico, and with the European Union, has diminished. The last 12 months have taught Americans one thing: Using tariffs as a negotiating tactic does not work. In practice, the trade tactics employed by the Trump administration are more akin to using coercion to extract a confession.