A Bull is Not What You Need in a China Shop
I am not anti-Trump. I find him no more harmful in general than any other western leader.
What distinguishes Trump is his style of being outspoken and open.
Other leaders hide behind deception and misleading narratives, and it is tragic that so many absorb the narratives without the slightest critical thinking.
However, Trump’s style upon taking office has been astonishing, being in full-on bully mode.
Everyone’s attacking America, taking advantage of America, poor old America.
Strange how America hasn’t profited at all from being the dominant industrial, tech, arms and finance nation on the planet for decades.
What on earth were they doing wrong?
Trump’s narrative is no more truthful than any other leader, and in one regard, he is an improvement.
He recognises that the USA has lost in Ukraine. It started before 2014, classic neocon intervention, but it went full-throttle from 2014 onwards.
US officials attended in Ukraine (John McCain, Victoria Nuland) to support the Maidan Coup.
Victoria Nuland was caught on the phone selecting the new ‘democratic’ government.
The Washington Post boasts of the CIA setting up 12 bunkers in 2014 to train Ukraine in anti-Russian operations.
Rand Corporation in 2019 set out a policy paper to ‘extend Russia’ using Ukraine.
The list goes on, and the US has – despite everything – failed.
And so Trump tries to put a “we’re still in charge” face on it, the USA leading the way to peace in Ukraine.
It’s over, but what is far more important is Trump’s position – echoing Biden’s position – on China, the threat.
That’s over too. Ray Dalio in “The Changing World Order” tells you exactly what’s going on, as so many of us recognise.
The US is going down. It had its shot at empire, and followed the classic path to peak power, peak economic success, peak military dominance, and it’s over.
It’s now on the decline. A smart nation adapts, and learns how to be lean, focused, energetic and relevant to the world.
Sadly, those who have enjoyed the riches of empire, the ego boost of being number one, are not naturally inclined to be smart.
And so they lash out, threaten, attempt to dominate, precisely as Trump is doing.
MAGA – Make America Great Again. Good idea, but lousy execution.
You can’t bully your way back to the top.
You have to earn it, adjusting, sliding down gracefully as you reconfigure to be just another player, perhaps for centuries, perhaps forever.
The USA had its unipolar moment.
It’s not enough to delude itself into thinking that it can be number one in a multi-polar world.
All it will do is drive itself into irrelevance and isolation. Not good for Americans and the west, either personally and in business.
The US response to China’s innovation in AI is typical. Block it, don’t let them intrude.
Bad idea.
We have a better idea, for your company at least: learn to ride the AI Tsunami.
Set up an AI Overwatch function.
Learn what AI means for yourself and your company in our AI Crash Course.
Train your staff to be AI-co-creators, not AI-users.
Ride the wave, don’t be drowned by it.
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If you want more guidance, or for us to help you, you know what to do.
It’s entirely up to you, but if you’re interested, reach out.