After taking power for his second term, US President Donald Trump quickly commenced a tariff war against the whole world. Particularly, China seems to be the main target from Trump as trade deficit against this country is almost impossible to be balanced. Besides China, the EU and Japan were also expected to suffer.
However, unlike Trump wished, great powers have not stepped back against Trump’s threats until now. Since additional customs taxes hurt only American citizens, Trump’s dreams of great America may turn into a nightmare. Economists estimate that tariffs will cost each American citizen more than $3000. The very same amount is not expected to cost to citizens of exporter countries to America.
Analysts argue that Trump’s stubbornness may eventually cause higher inflation in America, meaning a self-defeat in trade war. It will also show how other countries are durable against American embargoes and how American economy is weak against the rest of the world, they add.
Trump’s crazy and baseless policies may also reveal that the world is already multi-polar and America is just a great power but not a super power. Turkish academic Ibrahim Karatas argues that “The Us can not rule the world without its allies, literally Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia and some other small countries. If Trump turns his back to them, he will soon learn the his country owes its super power title to them. Whereas, America’s allies were happy with American leadership until Trump distorted well-established relationships”.
Almost all interviewees Straturka interviewed stress that the US is resisting to a multi-polar world and it leaves the stage by fighting. Yet, fighting will only accelerate America’s defeat, they argue.
