I was half-way listening to the evening news, which mentioned President Trump is getting ready to impose large tariffs on a huge swath of Chinese exports to the U.S., while China is getting ready to retaliate. And a lightbulb went on, metaphorically.
Remember when President Reagan bankrupted the Soviet Union by raising our armament spending, forcing them to do likewise? We could afford the spending, they couldn't. It caused the Soviet Union to disintegrate.
What if President Trump can pull the same trick on China with tariffs? The U.S. can live without Chinese goods, can China's government survive without a U.S. market for their manufactured products?
Just maybe the answer is no. I don't advise getting hopes up, but it could work, and make the world safer as a consequence. As Mark Twain is alleged to have said, "History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes," meaning common themes recur.
