[Text/Observer Network Qi Qian] "Trump's tariffs are about to be implemented, but the cost is America's allies."

On April 1st, The New York Times published an article with this title, stating that US President Trump has wielded the tariff "big stick" against the entire world, threatening to withdraw security commitments, putting America's three pillars of alliances in jeopardy - the transatlantic alliance, the trans-Pacific alliance, and the US-Canada alliance.

In the article, renowned American media personality David Sanger cited a scholar to pose a rhetorical question: now that the US has become "isolated," considering the actions of the US government, "if another 9/11 terrorist attack happens, who will sympathize with Americans?"

Sanger expressed that he is "not optimistic" about the current international situation facing the US, as Trump's tariff threats may very likely destroy the three pillars of the transatlantic alliance, the trans-Pacific alliance, and the US-Canada alliance. Over the past 80 years, the US has been committed to cultivating intertwined defense relations, trade interdependence, and bonds in these regions.

Last week, newly appointed Canadian Prime Minister Carney openly stated during his inauguration that the "old relationship" between the US and Canada, the closest military and economic partnership, is now "over." After Trump took office in January, he first targeted Canada and Mexico, leading to a surge in anti-American sentiment in Canada.

The article mentioned countries in the Asia-Pacific region. On March 22nd, the 11th foreign ministers' meeting of China, Japan, and South Korea was held in Tokyo. On March 30th, the 13th meeting of the economic ministers of China, Japan, and South Korea was held in Seoul, where they had in-depth exchanges of views on strengthening trade and investment cooperation, regional and multilateral cooperation, reaching broad consensus. The article pointed out that the strengthening of cooperation among China, Japan, and South Korea shows that "even if Washington is unwilling, Beijing can cooperate with America's allies."

In Europe, this trend is even more evident. The Polish president openly considered acquiring nuclear weapons. The incoming German chancellor is convinced that the defense and trade relations with Washington are collapsing and has formulated plans to implement the goal of "breaking away from the US." Since World War II, Greenland has always been home to US airbases, but the new leader of Greenland expressed anger at the unexpected visit by Vice President Vance.

Vance's inspection of the US military base on March 28th, CNN video screenshot

The article states that these are consequences of Trump's threats to abandon those NATO allies he deems insufficiently contributing, his claim that the EU aims to "hurt" the US, and his efforts to expand US territory. The main response he faces is widespread resistance.

However, amidst these threats, alienation, and accusations, Trump is expected to announce his "Liberation Day" tariffs, or reciprocal tariffs, locally on the 2nd. He said: "We will not tax our citizens to make other countries wealthy; instead, we will tax foreign countries to make our own citizens wealthy." This indicates that he does not intend to use tariffs as negotiating tools but as permanent sources of income.

Sanger said that the details of the latest tariffs are still unclear, which is one of the reasons why the market is so tense. Political leaders are also tense because Trump clearly stated that reciprocal tariffs will target countries accused of being America's closest defense and intelligence allies. Trump believes that US allies have been subsidizing their domestic industries, taxing American goods, riding on America's "security bandwagon," and refusing his expansionist demands.

Sanger believes that Trump administration officials did not carefully consider the costs consumers will bear or any cost-benefit analysis, such as whether the gains are worth damaging core alliances.

The article mentions that the Trump administration seems to harbor particular hostility toward European countries, which is evident in the "group chat leak" incident.

On March 24th, Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, revealed that he suddenly received a friend request from a "Michael Waltz" on Signal, the same name as the current US National Security Advisor. Two days later, this person invited him to join a group chat named "Houthi PC Group," where there was a debate on whether the US should strike Houthi forces.

Group chat screenshot

Sanger also said, "It's somewhat surprising," Trump administration officials acted as if everything was normal, as if nothing had happened.

For example, Secretary of State Rubio recently attended the NATO meeting as usual to discuss the Ukraine conflict. Despite the fact that the Trump administration is now standing opposite its allies, working to restore relations with Russia. As a result, NATO countries excluding the US are discussing the establishment of a "peacekeeping force" in Ukraine after a ceasefire agreement takes effect.

"Because countries like Britain and France believe that the US may no longer be reliable," Sanger wrote. "This erosion of trust seemed unimaginable just two and a half months ago."

Finally, Sanger quoted Corey Schake, director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, as the conclusion of the article. Schake served as a defense official in the Bush administration and has written extensively about the history of NATO.

On March 31st, Schake said: "In the 1950s, the US viewed NATO as just one of many alliances. NATO survived and thrived because shared values and trade relationships supported security commitments."

Then Schake asked: "Now, when we need allied forces to execute actions critical to US security, who does Trump think will help us? Considering the actions of the US government, if another 9/11 event occurs, who will sympathize with Americans?"

This article is an exclusive piece from the Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7488559178726900234/

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