Our World in 2018

government has yet to direct its
political capital toward becoming a
member of APEC, let alone advance
a trade-liberalization agenda of its
own. This needs to change, but the
forces of mercantilism are alive and
well in Delhi. The net result of these
developments, with the US having
eschewed both the TPP and RCEP,
has been a further diminution of
AA
region. In fact, the US is increasingly
emerging as an incomplete
superpower. It remains a formidable
military actor, with unique power
projection capabilities that extend
far beyond its aircraft carrier
battle groups to include an array
of other capabilities that are as yet
unmatched by other countries in the
A.
to the region’s future – in terms of
employment, trade, and investment
growth, as well as sustainable
development – is declining fast.
Some in Washington, DC, seem
to think that the US can sustain this
pattern for decades to come. But
many of us are skeptical. Unless and
until the US chooses comprehensive
economic re-engagement with the
future of Asia, the world’s most
economically dynamic region, will
continue to fade.
Precisely how other regional
powers – China, Japan, India, and
South Korea (Asia’s four leading
economies) – will respond to this
decline remains to be seen. But
the truth confronting those who
observe the region closely is that
Southeast Asia has already begun
to move meaningfully toward China’s
strategic orbit.
Ultimately, the policies of an
administration committed to putting
America first are likely, in Asia at
least, to result in America being put
last.
GLOBAL VS. LOCAL WORLDS
You don’t have to be a
Marxist to understand
that economics has a
profound and probably
even decisive impact on
politics, both national
and international.
And, indeed, the
geopolitical and geoeconomic
implications
of US President Donald
Trump’s move are just
beginning to be felt
across the Pacific.
Activists prepare to
hurl paint bombs
on an image of US
President Donald
J. Trump during a
protest near the US
embassy in Manila,
Philippines, 11
November 2017.
EPA-EFE/MARK R. CRISTINO
OUR WORLD | 2018
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018. www.project-syndicate.org
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