Of all the cultural references that might explain Donald Trump’s trade war, the most apt is Heath Ledger’s Joker character in The Dark Knight.
As one character said of the villain from the 2008 blockbuster film: “Some men aren’t looking for anything logical, like money. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.”
Much of this statement could easily refer to the “America First” president. Not the “money” part, given how he’s turned the White House into an ATM for his family businesses. But on foreign affairs and economic policymaking, Trump clearly has a Joker-like passion for setting the globe ablaze.
Trump’s signal on Friday that he’s ready to go all-in on China-slamming tariffs, tosses additional lighter fluid on an already raging blaze. It is telling, too. The tell is that Trump’s strategy to “make America great again” is to incinerate other economies in ways that will also scorch the US.
The timing is no coincidence. Trump is veering toward Defcon 1 just as Bob Woodward’s new book on this dumpster fire of a presidency burns up the best-seller’s list. Aptly named “Fear,” it depicts an off-the-rails administration driven more by paranoia and revenge than sane plans to raise America’s game.
Trump went ballistic last week over America’s most respected investigative journalist effectively calling him a charlatan. Also last week, the New York Times ran an op-ed by an anonymous senior White House official confirming as much. On Friday, Trump’s nemesis, predecessor Barack Obama, took to the podium to deride the “dangerous times” he’s helped foment.
Obama, one could argue, is swooping in, Batman-style, to challenge Trump’s assault on the global order. Yet isn’t it time Asia offered an assist?
Like Republicans in Washington, Asian leaders have been loath to go toe-to-toe with the tweeter-in-chief. One fear is becoming a target of early morning Trump Twitter rants. Another: joining China on Trump’s list of top enemies with all the tariffs that follow.
But where has that gotten the region? Just ask Prime Minister Shinzo Abe how that Trump Tower sprint worked out for Japan. Nine days after Trump’s shock election in November 2016, Abe raced to Trump’s New York lair to kiss the ring. That day, Abe normalized Trump, calling him a “trustworthy leader.”
Yet “trustworthy” isn’t a word Japan Inc. CEOs would use these days as Trump says he’ll go ahead with US$200 billion of taxes on Chinese imports. Before long, that figure might grow to $505 billion, the amount of goods China sent to the US in 2017. That would shoulder-check Abenomics, Tokyo’s five-year-plus effort to defeat deflation once and for all.
South Korea’s Moon Jae-in can share similar tales of woe. The president acquiesced to Trump’s demand to renegotiate a free-trade deal in effect since 2012. Moon trusted Trump, pulling him into Seoul’s North Korea détente effort. Yet all this may end in tears as Trump tosses more tariffs on the fire and the White House trades barbs anew with Pyongyang.
Traditional US allies from Singapore to the Philippines to Taiwan to Australia are left wondering what gives. All the more reason for the region to join hands and start pushing back. Asia could wait until November, when the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum hold summits (Trump is skipping both). Sooner is better, though.
Why not convene an emergency meeting – or even a conference call – between Asia-region leaders or finance ministers? Even if they demur on criticizing Trump by name, officials should make a strong, unequivocal joint statement against the abject mercantilism emanating from Washington. Abe, Moon and China’s Xi Jinping should be sure to sign on.
The Joker in the White House needs to know Asia supports the forces of globalization he’s determined to kill. It’s not like tiptoeing around the issue has gotten us anywhere. It’s time Asia stopped watching the global economy burn and began dousing the flames.
One thing is clear, as we observe Trump’s history, his actions are driven out of Tel Aviv/Jerusalem rather than Washington.
Asia has a non interference policy and will not meddle into US internal affairs.
Asia must get their act together and become more unified. Today, the US is big spenders with borrowed money. This will not be the case in the future. Asia will see growth in the GDP. Less poverty = more spending. Sadly, China has 1,1 TRILLION dollars stuck in low interest US Treasury Bills these funds will get a much better return if invested in Asia. I guess US next step will be to freeze Chinese assets in the US due to some bogus reason, then China can forget to get their money back.
Looks like US is entering another war. Where? The US is bullying and looking for wars in both Europe and Asia so it is hard to tell who will be the next victim. Looks like the President Trump will follow the Zionist agenda and create more chaos and havoc in the Middle East.
The Corporate Capitalist West (CCW) that in quest of mighty $ has buried Jesus 6 feet under ignores that there is Lord above us all.
For 200 years CCW has inflicted untold misery on the globe, and then upon itself 1914-45 when it killed 120,000,000 of its own plus allegedly 6,000,000 of an alien race. But the Invisible Hand was watching.
Now the Good Lord is helping Asia by disuniting the CCW. Joker Trump is just one of His tools to break the evil up, a Divine Punishment.
Asia is not only dousing the flames, but going further. Christian Russia, Islamic Iran, and Rationalist Asia all have joined hands to usher a new world with BRI/New Silk Road whose purpose is World Peace and Dialogue of Civilizations.
One way Asia should unite is to come up with a plan to dump the USDollar and create a payment system independent of SWIFT.
Asia can rope in Germany, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Syria, brazil, S Africa Central Asia and eventually to expand to Latin America and Africa.
China already got a plan for Asia and Europe and Africa and ME to come together aka BRI. Your vision is just sub North East Asia, and NK/SK is already onboard, with Japan still kowtowing to your Uncle Sam. When will Japanese raise your head from 70+yrs of kneeling down!?
The "Trump Hater" William Pesek is at it again writing fiction about the 45th President of the United States. The dude is a joker and part of FAKE NEWS!! Standard operating procedure for the fiction writers submitting articles to Asia Times. Calling Pepe Escobar——-please come to the lobby and someone will escort you upstairs to the offices of Asia Times——-they need come journalistic credibility!!!
Asian mentality is such that if someone else, such as the BRICS have done it, it will follow. The reason is that except China, most other Asian countries are too used to being led and are unable to live and plan like an independent country.
Some interesting points here. It really is about time Asian countries stopped their bickering and got together to support each other.
Time has come for all countries in the world to drop USD as trading settlement. USD is fiat currency with no real value, its value derives from economy embargo, currency manipulations by creating currency crisis, military invasion to cow the small countries. US is now in the right path toward trade isolation by imposing hefty tariffs to all trading nations with them. US has lost the last vestige of free trade champion and soon USD will be no value, like babana money. Start dump the USD now before too late, the last straw that break the camel’s back is imminent.
Complete RCEP negotiations and rectify it ASAP. Push UP Asian trade and integration, accelerate wealth accumulation in Asia. This is the most effective response to Trump.
Where are all the PLA trolls calling the Asia Times a US mouthpiece today? Lol