The Trump White House has decided to exit the “neoliberal” free trade framework of the past 40+ years in favor a resolutely developmentalist approach rooted in Colbertisme and the “Bull Moose” brand of economic nationalism championed originally by Theodore Roosevelt: from now on, trade deficit or, rather, lack thereof (“the commerce of the world”), reindustrialization (AI, advanced microchip foundries), and the ownership of strategic infrastructure assets (e.g., Panama Canal ports) will be viewed as national security priorities: and there’s very little the European Union, Mexico and Canada can do about it

Tellingly, China’s policy thinkers have already embraced “the new rules of engagement”, long before Donald Trump (Belt and Road initiative, AIIB, modern industrial mercantilism). Unlike Brussels, Berlin and Ottawa, still clinging desperately to the perpetuation of free trade, the Politburo Standing Committee is ready for Trump’s “New Great Game” (Cold War 2)

Maher Nicolas Firzli, Chair, EU ASEAN Centre, spoke 🎥 🎞️ with Maya Hojeij on Asharq News with Bloomberg, covering “these important issues for the future of trade and investment” from a neo-realist interactionist perspective: trying to understand the new presiding policy drivers in Washington D.C. without “taking sides” and assessing their likely impact on financial markets across sectors and geographies:

https://now.asharq.com/clips/1757453/ترمب-ورسومه-الجمركية-تعزيز-نفوذ-أم-تهديد-للتجارة-العالمية