In An Autocrat’s Playbook, Rutgers emeritus professor Jerry M. Rosenberg traces today’s trade wars from Smoot-Hawley to the present — and the constitutional fight over who can tax the world’s imports
Los Angeles, CA – July 9, 2026 — Riot House Publishing today announced the August 11, 2026 release of An Autocrat’s Playbook: Trump’s Tariffs and the Road to Economic Chaos, a work of political-economic nonfiction by economist and historian Jerry M. Rosenberg that places the current escalation of U.S. tariffs within a full century of recession history.
The book frames Trump-era tariff policy as a case study in economic nationalism, arguing that protectionist trade measures risk destabilizing U.S. growth, straining alliances, and accelerating a global economic realignment already in motion. Rather than an insider narrative or partisan polemic, An Autocrat’s Playbook offers a documentary, historically grounded analysis — tracing the policy from announcement to the legal battle over the limits of executive authority to impose tariffs without Congress.
“Whatever else defines this term, tariffs are the administration’s central economic weapon — and the costs are already showing up in prices, markets, and alliances,” Rosenberg writes.
Drawing a direct line from the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 through the Great Recession and the COVID-19 shock to the present, Rosenberg documents how protectionist policy has repeatedly promised prosperity and produced strain — and why the current moment carries distinct risks. The book examines recession mechanics, the global response from allies and rivals, and the constitutional questions raised when sweeping trade barriers are imposed by executive action.
The release is timed to the 2026 midterm cycle, a period of peak public attention to economic policy, inflation, and the country’s direction. Its relevance extends well beyond the election, however, into the ongoing story of trade disputes, recession risk, and shifting global economic leadership.
About the author. Jerry M. Rosenberg is Emeritus Professor of International Business at Rutgers University, where he received the university’s Distinguished Faculty Award. Over a career spanning more than six decades, he has authored more than thirty books — including two previous works on global recessions — translated into five languages. The New York Times has called him “arguably the leading business and technical lexicographer in the nation.” His honors include a Marshall Foundation Fellowship and three Fulbright Awards, and he has testified before the U.S. Senate’s Constitutional Rights Subcommittee.
An Autocrat’s Playbook: Trump’s Tariffs and the Road to Economic Chaos will be available in trade paperback beginning August 11, 2026, from Amazon, Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers. Review copies are available to media on request.
About Riot House Publishing. Riot House Publishing is an independent publisher committed to publishing thought provoking titles Learn more at riothousepublishing.com.
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