The irony of all that chaos is that Trump’s trade war has actually left America
less influential on the global stage. The Southeast Asian countries that were for decades the centerpiece of American foreign policy in the Pacific are now abandoning the United States at an alarming pace. In our place, those nations are forming new security and economic agreements that exclude America from the conversation entirely.
Even the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, once a close American partner,
hinted this week that Trump’s economic protectionism and unreliability could force the 10-state body to go its own way on trade policy. China, Japan and North Korea also signed on to ASEAN’s warning, a not-so-subtle reminder to America that our Pacific allies could easily turn to other, much closer economic powers if Trump’s demands become too burdensome.
