‘Why Politicians Lie About Trade…’ explains how international trade in goods and services actually works and the compromises and concessions nations must make to take part in this $32 trillion-a-year jamboree: the greatest commercial show on earth.

Daily we can see the fruits of international trade on display on the shelves of shops, from American oranges to Chinese mobile phones to Kenyan coffee. But hidden from view is the geopolitical wiring that allows global cross-border trade to make it all happen: a network of treaties, tariffs, taxes and disputes that is remote and unintelligible to most people. Until now.

With clear, often humorous writing and case studies, former trade negotiator Dmitry Grozoubinski takes readers through the intricacies and surprises of global commerce. He reveals the underlying political and geographical forces that shape trade policy and our everyday lives. He spells out the impact of trade treaties on topics such as food, jobs, gender conflict and climate. And he reveals what politicians cover-up about the system— and why it matters.

A companion to books such as How to Lie With Statistics, Why Politicians Lie About Trade illuminates a much misunderstood and underestimated network that is vital to our modern interconnected world. With the US-China trade war, Brexit, and other disputes regularly hitting the headlines (and sometimes our nerves), grasping how trade actually works has never been more important.