來源于《社論》版塊
Weapons of mass disruption
大規模干擾性武器
America is aggressively deploying a new economic arsenal to assert its power. That is counterproductive—and dangerous
美國正在積極部署新的經濟武器,以彰顯其實力。這一危險舉動會適得其反。
When Donald Trump arrived in the Oval Office he promised to restore America’s might. His method has turned out to be a wholesale weaponisation of economic tools. The world can now see the awesome force that a superpower can project when it is unconstrained by rules or allies. On May 30th the president threatened crippling tariffs on Mexico after a row over migration. Markets reeled, and a Mexican delegation rushed to Washington to sue for peace. A day later preferential trading rules for India were cancelled. Its usually macho government did not put up a fight and promised to preserve “strong ties”. China faces a ratcheting up of tariffs soon, and its tech giant, Huawei, has been severed from its American suppliers. The country’s autocratic leaders are enraged, but on June 2nd they insisted they still seek “dialogue and consultation”. A tighter embargo on Iran, imposed over European objections, is strangling its economy.
唐納德•特朗普入主白宮橢圓形辦公室時,承諾恢復美國的實力。事實證明,他的方法是將經濟工具大規模武器化。世界各國現在可以看到一個超級大國在不受規則或盟友約束的情況下所能展現出的驚人力量。5月30日,特朗普總統威脅要對墨西哥征收懲罰性關稅。市場動蕩不安,墨西哥代表團趕赴華盛頓要求和平。一天后,印度的優惠貿易規則被取消。通常剛強的印度政府沒有反抗,并承諾保持“牢固的關系”。中國很快將面臨關稅上調,其科技巨頭華為也被切斷了與美國供應商的聯系。這個國家的領導人被激怒了,但是在6月2日他們堅持仍然尋求“對話和協商”。特朗普還不顧歐洲的反對,對伊朗實施了更嚴格的禁運,正在扼殺伊朗的經濟。
President Trump must view this scene with satisfaction. Nobody takes America for granted any more. Enemies and friends know that it is prepared to unleash an economic arsenal to protect its national interest. America is deploying new tactics—poker- style brinkmanship—and new weapons that exploit its role as the nerve centre of the global economy to block the free flow of goods, data, ideas and money across borders. This pumped-up vision of a 21st-century superpower may be seductive for some. But it could spark a crisis, and it is eroding America’s most valuable asset—its legitimacy.
特朗普總統看到這一幕一定很滿意。沒有人再認為美國是理所當然的了。敵人和朋友都知道,中國準備動用經濟武器來保護國家利益。美國正在部署新的策略——撲克式的邊緣政策——以及利用其作為全球經濟神經中樞的角色來阻止商品、數據、思想和資金跨境自由流動的新武器。對一些人來說,這種對21世紀超級大國的雄心壯志可能是誘人的。但它可能引發一場危機,并正在侵蝕美國最寶貴的資產——其合法性。
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