Oren Cass, a prominent American nationalist, is a clever fellow. Following his defence all week of Mr Trump’s tariffs, he now lays his cards on the table: the world has divided in two. Europe, he writes, faces a choice: America or China?
Let us pose the question in a slightly different way:
Country A
Declares a trade war against you and reverses itself in the span of a few days;
Foments wars along your periphery which threaten your security, and holds a Damocles sword of refugees over your head;
Revises its mutual defence system with you to a protection racket;
Threatens to conquer portions of your territory;
Throws your citizens in jail, revokes their visas, etc;
Acts to undermine its own currency;
Persecutes its best institutions of higher learning;
Gets by with decaying streets, railways, airports, etc.;
Is dismantling its social safety net;
Cannot pass a regular budget;
Cannot mind its own business.
Country B
Is the largest trading partner of most of the world;
Does not impose sanctions on scores of countries;
Has a stable government and predictable foreign policy;
Has not invaded another country in a very long time;
Limits its bullying to its own neighbourhood;
Has a currency which is becoming a trusted medium of exchange;
Has the highest number of STEM graduates in the world;
Has 21st-century infrastructure;
Has greatly improved the standard of living of its population;
Keeps its agreements;
Keeps its ideology to itself.
Now then, which one will it be?