Trump steering US back
into trade wars,
isolationism, says political
scientist
San Diego-based Ahmet T Kuru says US president Donald Trump’s tariff and immigration policies could hurt the American economy.
Isolationism, which the US adopted in the 1930s, involves remaining apart from the political affairs of other countries.
However, San Diego State University’s Ahmet T Kuru explained that Trump’s foreign policy is not completely isolationist, as he spouts pro-Russian rhetoric and actively supports Israel, among other things.
He said Trump’s fiery meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb 28 was more than about wanting to cut off support for the Eastern European country which is currently at war with Russia.
Kuru said Trump was also seeking to tear the US away from the Western bloc and end his country’s global vision of protecting the world order.
However, the US’s tariff policies and his deportation of immigrants will hurt the American economy, he said.
“It is impossible to keep enjoying the economic benefits of the global order while also trying to destroy this order,” Kuru told FMT.
He cited the falling sales of Elon Musk-owned Tesla vehicles in Europe as well as the company’s stumbling stock price, saying it was a sign that the downward spiral had begun.
On Monday, the BBC reported that a sell-off in the US stock market was gathering steam, fuelled by rising concerns about the cost of the trade war to the world’s largest economy.
Two days later, the European Union responded to Trump’s decision to impose a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminium imports by imposing new levies on industrial and farm products imported from Republican-led US states.
“The trade wars would not only push the American economy into recession but also trigger a global economic crisis,” Kuru said.
He said Trump’s policies could also backfire on him personally, noting that his popularity has already plunged below 50% based on current polls.
His current policies will lead to price increases and inflation, despite Trump promising to lower prices in the run-up to the US presidential election in November last year.
“Americans do not tolerate a deteriorating economy,” he said.
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