Oh, don’t get all emotional on me… Regardless of who you vote for in November, the fact remains that America’s stature in the deglobalized world is changing.
Neither Trump, Biden, Haley, or any other presidential hopeful can change the big trends and parameters of society itself. All any administration can do is work within the parameters set forth by the collective values and principles of the nation they represent. They can take them to the extremes but can’t stretch them beyond that.
Biden’s world view is that the United States is the natural leader of the world, and it must be directly involved, even militarily, in areas of conflict where its allies are facing defeat by authoritarian regimes or more of them would be “inspired” to act. The fear is that in 2-3 generations, some country or non-state actor would have a foothold in Central America, and for the first time in ages, someone would directly threaten the United States of America.
Trump’s world view is that the United States is an economic powerhouse and beacon of light to the world but that with the right deals and agreements in place, the country can largely isolate itself from woes and wars by brokering long-lasting accords like the Abraham Accords.
Both understand that globalization is ending and that the United States is preparing for the world after the Bretton Woods era, but each has their own strategy on how to handle it.
With nine months to go before the elections, Biden decided to send a message to Iran, its proxies, and (indirectly) Russia and China regarding the price one pays for killing American soldiers in what his administration defines as a multi-week retaliation operation.
I want to zoom out, though. This operation will not achieve any major goals and won’t deter Iran, Russia, or China, so I want to focus on what actually will.
What is truly needed is candid discussions about what each country wants in the post-Bretton Woods world; the rest is posturing.
AMERICA’S NAVY RETREAT: VACUUM EMERGES!
Most Americans take things for granted because they have never been faced with imminent military threats. Those are an ocean away, so they make the argument that Washington should stay out of it and let others fight if they want so they can watch the Super Bowl and enjoy their chips, but this is a mirage.
The reason the threat is an ocean away is because of Bretton Woods. Because of it, the navy fleet allowed safe passage on the open waters for the first time, a miracle that is ending.
Courtesy: TradingEconomics.com
There is ONE active nickel mine in the entire U.S., and it actually exports the ore to Canada. This means that the energy department, the defense department, and the great auto manufacturers rely on the navy and trade agreements to remain in place so Tesla, Ford, General Motors, and tank and aerospace contractors can produce EVs and military vehicles.
When Russia made its bet that NATO would stand down, corrupt, pro-Russian municipalities in Ukraine would facilitate a stand-down order, and Putin’s tanks would breeze through Ukraine with ease, global markets began to speculate on the intricacies of commodity supply chains and nickel’s price parabolically surged.
I am telling you that this was foreplay. Russia will hold its nickel hostage again, and so will many other countries because the entire political order is being rewritten. No commodity is safe.
Nickel is my top commodity right now, and I am actively engaged in learning everything about it! So are Elon Musk and the U.S. government:
Courtesy: Energy.gov
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