rump sees tariffs as the most eloquent expression of American power. The current form of the trade war signals the end of globalization, and only the U.S. President has the power to reverse this course.
The escalation of tensions we’re witnessing seemed random and reckless, especially for the U.S. economy. However, by opening renegotiation windows to the world—except to China—the final objective becomes clear. For Beijing, he reserved the full force of hostility, with tariffs reaching 245%. It’s a premeditated siege, which might have been less severe had China not retaliated against the previous 145% with its own tariffs of 125%. Still, it sends a strong message to others: align with Trump, or face the consequences.
China, faithful to its age-old art of strategic patience, had been trying to position itself as the guarantor of globalization, but the current context also forced it to warn the rest of the world — whoever sides with Washington, sides against us. And in this dance of threats and retaliation, the music now transcends the main players.
Trump wants a new world order that orbits around Washington’s gravitational pull, subjecting supply chains to the logic of force and allies to the logic of submission. If that gravitational force isn’t attractive enough for some, Trump offers only one option: you’re either with us, or you’re with us. Those who are not, will be crushed — because the tariffs currently on the table will be nothing compared to those to come.
What’s troubling is not just the confrontation itself. It’s what grows within it: an international environment where cooperation fades and countries are pushed to make choices they don’t want to make. Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Africa — entire regions are being coerced into choosing between two empires, just as they were starting to find a bilateral balance.
The *Economist* paints a disturbing picture in its latest analysis: structural inflation, stalled investment, erosion of trust — symptoms of a system losing its center of gravity. It’s hard to survive the breakdown of certainties, especially with multilateral institutions reduced to powerless observers.
This is where the real danger lies. The choice between one side or the other is no longer ideological or economic. It is now dictated by fear — not of what is gained by aligning with one, but of what is lost by being excluded by the other. A moral inversion that turns partners into hostages and crystallizes a world of locked blocs, capable only of speaking among themselves.
Cooperation is increasingly becoming an act of self-defense and survival. Even if countries now negotiating with the United States want to build agreements that don’t antagonize Beijing – clinging to a fragile idea of globalization – it depends on whether Trump is willing to allow it. But the *America First* policy is anything but neutral toward those in second place; quite the opposite.
*Executive Director of Plataforma
