Trump smashes trade systems in record time

In ten whirlwind weeks, Donald Trump had already smashed the international system of rules and alliances that more or less kept the peace for almost eighty years, but his latest “tariffs on every-body” policy has given us a glimpse of what may take its place. It’s the United States against the whole world, and America’s only possible great power rival is Russia.

- Gwynne Dyer

Mr Trump representing some irrita-tion at the moment Vladimir Putin’s foot-dragging on a cease-fire in Ukraine, but his admiration for the Russian dictator and former KGB agent is deep and long-lasting. Besides, he has convinced America’s former allies in Europe that he is no more to be trusted, so he really has nowhere else to go.

Selling this switch of alliances to the public will take a lot of work. However, if Franklin Roosevelt could persuade Americans that the ruthless communist Stalin of the Soviet Union were suitable allies for America in the war against Hitler, Mr Trump can sell Mr Putin to his “base” as a man who loves God and hates gays and “woke” fags as much as they do.

Plus, this new flirtation will only survive Mr Trump’s probable collaboration with Israel in a massive joint strike against Iran in the next few months because Russia doesn’t like the Islamist regime in Iran either. The real question is: Where does China fit now?

China has loyally refrained from criticising Russia about its invasion of Ukraine because, until now, it, too, had nowhere else to go. But China is far less expansionist than Russia under Mr Putin. The United States can under Mr Trump (Greenland, Canada, Mexico, Gaza).