March 6, 2018 at 5:21 p.m.
U-turns in history are dangerous
Editorial
Is history moving backwards?
You have to wonder.
Within the past week:
•President Xi of China has essentially said he’ll be president for life. All of the economic reforms of the past 30 years are now just window-dressing. Political life is moving backward to the time of Mao.
•President Putin of Russia, who is already president for pretty much as long as he wants to be president, effectively launched a new nuclear arms race, touting a missile he alleges could unleash a holocaust anywhere on the globe.
•President Trump, meanwhile, has announced plans to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, a move that is likely to launch a trade war and is almost certain to do serious damage to the U.S. economy. In doing so, he essentially walked away from decades of Republican policy on international trade.
Globalization and free trade, the opening of political life in countries that had been strictly totalitarian, the reduction of the threat of nuclear war, all of those suddenly seem to be in the rearview mirror.
History seems to have made a U-turn.
Of the three moves, President Trump’s is the one that’s least alarming in the long run. Similar tariffs have been tried and quickly rejected in the past. There’s a good chance that cooler heads will prevail.
President Putin’s move is the least unexpected. Nationalism, militarism and the Russian version of jingoism have been at the core of his playbook for years. He’ll rattle sabers, nuclear and otherwise, as long as necessary.
Russia is easier to govern when it views itself as put-upon by the West. Putin needs an adversary, a bogeyman to keep his power intact.
President Xi’s moves, however, are the most disconcerting.
When Mao was the all-powerful leader, China’s international power was limited by its primitive economy. Under Xi, that is no longer the case.
Watch for Xi’s China to flex its muscles at every opportunity — particularly in the South China Sea — giving headaches and heartburn to neighbors like Japan, Taiwan, The Philippines and most of Southeast Asia.
U-turns are always dangerous. Never more so than right now. — J.R.
You have to wonder.
Within the past week:
•President Xi of China has essentially said he’ll be president for life. All of the economic reforms of the past 30 years are now just window-dressing. Political life is moving backward to the time of Mao.
•President Putin of Russia, who is already president for pretty much as long as he wants to be president, effectively launched a new nuclear arms race, touting a missile he alleges could unleash a holocaust anywhere on the globe.
•President Trump, meanwhile, has announced plans to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, a move that is likely to launch a trade war and is almost certain to do serious damage to the U.S. economy. In doing so, he essentially walked away from decades of Republican policy on international trade.
Globalization and free trade, the opening of political life in countries that had been strictly totalitarian, the reduction of the threat of nuclear war, all of those suddenly seem to be in the rearview mirror.
History seems to have made a U-turn.
Of the three moves, President Trump’s is the one that’s least alarming in the long run. Similar tariffs have been tried and quickly rejected in the past. There’s a good chance that cooler heads will prevail.
President Putin’s move is the least unexpected. Nationalism, militarism and the Russian version of jingoism have been at the core of his playbook for years. He’ll rattle sabers, nuclear and otherwise, as long as necessary.
Russia is easier to govern when it views itself as put-upon by the West. Putin needs an adversary, a bogeyman to keep his power intact.
President Xi’s moves, however, are the most disconcerting.
When Mao was the all-powerful leader, China’s international power was limited by its primitive economy. Under Xi, that is no longer the case.
Watch for Xi’s China to flex its muscles at every opportunity — particularly in the South China Sea — giving headaches and heartburn to neighbors like Japan, Taiwan, The Philippines and most of Southeast Asia.
U-turns are always dangerous. Never more so than right now. — J.R.
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