The art of trade war

We may be watching the world order shift right before our eyes. Trump is using tariffs as a way to create leverage to renegotiate trade deals worldwide, mostly with China. I don't know if the U.S. has the leverage they think they have, as thus far China has called every bluff. Pausing the tariffs now on everyone except China, creates a tug-of-war between the two countries, each vying to partner with everyone caught in the middle. So it comes down to this: who’s willing to do business with who? From the perspective of a European or African or Australian, that answer, may no longer be "obviously the USA."  Why should it be? China can offer everything the US can in terms of industry, commerce, tech and finance. While the US can only best them in military might (for now). Which, perhaps doesn’t seem so attractive either, after the collective debacles of Korea, Vietnam, Iraq I + II, and Afghanistan over the past 75 years. But in that same time span, China became the manufacturing and industry giant that the US was for most of the 20th century. They played the long game and patiently vacuumed up every opportunity to become the backbone of an outsourced economy. That backbone now represents a framework of stability, through which the future of global trade and commerce can route. The opportunity is currently presenting itself to reform the world order, and China appears to be taking advantage.

If my thesis is true, China's focus on long-term goals and collective patience will have paid off. It's reminds me a lot of the strategy the Belichickian Patriots deployed winning football games as a 20 year dynasty. Keep the game close, wait for the opponent to screw up, and capitalize on it when they do. And Belichick’s philosophical view on football famously stems from the book: The Art of War by Sun Tzu, a 5th century Chinese military strategist. So this is the battle we are watching play out in real time. Patience versus instant gratification. Time vs. money. A proven ancient philosophy versus a 1980's McPhilosphy value meal. The Art of War vs. The Art of the Deal.