The Great Game
In a non-stooge comedy, a leader might want to talk “about things like that” before threatening billions in trade…thousands of jobs…and millions of family budgets.
Wednesday, April 16th, 2025
Bill Bonner, writing from Youghal, Ireland
‘I resemble that remark.’
--Curly Howard
Like internet advertising, the tariff news keeps coming. Quartz:
A group of Wedbush analysts led by Dan Ives sent a note Tuesday…“This auto tariff (in its current form) will send the auto industry into upside down mode and raise the average price of cars between $5k on the low end and $10k to $15k on the high end.”
The Daily Mail:
Xia Baolong, a top Chinese official…'Let those peasants in the United States wail in front of the 5,000 years of Chinese civilization,' Xia, the director of China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office under the State Council, said in a televised speech today.
But what are we watching? Is it a 21st century version of the Great Game…in which the world’s most powerful nations make moves and counter-moves…one trying to protect its empire…the other trying to save face? The Raw Story:
Trade war set to 'get really ugly' as 'Xi won't back down': Ex-Trump official
As the White House claims they have the ‘upper hand’ in the China trade war, a new POLITICO report is claiming otherwise…
According to the outlet, Trump's exceptions are “indicative of the relatively weak position of the administration.”
They also noted a second problem with the tariffs: “The U.S. is imposing new tariffs on Chinese goods in an attempt to move manufacturing back to the U.S., but those tariffs are particularly painful for U.S. manufacturers because they are currently so dependent on Chinese parts.”
In retrospect, the 19th century ‘Great Game’ between Russia and England was a waste of time, money, and lives. Russia believed it was protecting the southern Caucasus from further English colonization. England thought it was protecting India. Neither was a realistic threat.
So maybe this trade spat is not so important, either. Maybe it’s just an entertaining farce…’Trade Stooges’…nyuk…nyuk…nyuk… in which the lead characters whack each other for the benefit of the audience…but nobody actually gets hurt?
They punch. They poke. But no hard feelings!
AP is reporting that Donald Trump, for all his vaudeville jabs, flip flops more than a pair of beach sandals:
Trump considers pausing his auto tariffs as the world economy endures whiplash
“I’m looking at something to help some of the car companies with it,” Trump told reporters gathered in the Oval Office. The Republican president said automakers needed time to relocate production from Canada, Mexico and other places, "And they need a little bit of time because they’re going to make them here, but they need a little bit of time. So I’m talking about things like that.”
In a non-stooge comedy, a leader might want to talk “about things like that” before threatening billions in trade…thousands of jobs…and millions of family budgets.
Besides, there is no way the auto companies are going to relocate production to the US in just a few months. And maybe never. The New York Post:
Honda on Tuesday said it has no plans to move car production from Canada and Mexico to the US, following a report that the Japan auto giant was considering shifting some operations to avoid potentially devastating tariffs.
So, what’s this really about? This is just show business, right?
Maybe not.
Maybe more like ‘The Guns of August’…in which the leading powers blunder into a catastrophic war, with no real cause…no practical strategy…and with nothing really at stake. Once underway, there’s no acceptable outcome…except to win…at any cost. Irish Star:
China orders all airlines to stop taking deliveries from Boeing as trade war explodes
As the trade war with the US intensifies, China has halted deliveries from Boeing…In response, Chinese officials have instructed airlines to cease accepting deliveries from Boeing and to stop purchasing aircraft-related equipment and parts from American companies.
And this from the newswires:
China has sent naval vessels to the wider Western Pacific Ocean via waterways near Japan after a United States aircraft carrier reached the contested region, along with an advanced warship. The Japanese military on Monday announced that three Chinese naval ships had sailed in the waters southwest of Japan on Friday. They were the Type 052C destroyer CNS Changchun, the Type 054A frigate CNS Yangzhou and the Type 903 replenishment ship CNS Qiandaohu.
The Stooges?
The Great Game?
WWI?
Remember how movie theaters used to offer a ‘double feature?’ This looks like a triple feature to us!
Get your popcorn…and your gold…now.
Regards,
Bill Bonner
Congratulations Bill - you have 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 started addressing what EVERYTHING we are seeing is 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 about.
War. It actually is that simple and it's coming because the ones who make the rules want it to - once again that class is dependent on so many nefarious, evil outcomes for their entertainment, enjoyment and twisted validation. Regardless, 𝘄𝗲 will get what they want while also paying for it in Blood and Treasure.
The more things change, the more they stay the same...
Here’s what they’re not telling you, probably because they think you’re too busy licking a battery to notice: America is quietly panic-hoarding like a Walmart on Black Friday after someone yells “tariff.” And let’s talk about that word—tariff—what a bougie, bureaucratic way of saying “we’re gonna charge you more for your own crap.” They dress it up in policy drag like it’s some kind of Ivy League econ thesis“ reciprocal tariff bilateral growth incentivization”, shut the hell up, Brent. You’re just mugging the guy who delivered your soybeans and calling it a trade strategy. And the kicker? These so-called “world leaders”, a term that really just means “high-functioning sociopaths with armies”, are pretending this makes sense.
Imagine walking up to Xi Jinping, ruler of 1.5 billion ride-or-die loyalists, and saying, “Yo, that bed frame you make for $75? It’s gonna cost $205 now because democracy said so.” That’s not policy, that’s a hostage note written in crayon by a drunk raccoon in a suit.
And now the sheep are stampeding, buying cars, hoarding diapers, and prepping for an economic rapture like it’s Y2K with Bluetooth.
Why? Because their smooth-brained, panic-laced logic tells them everything’s going to get more expensive.
Then comes the punchline: when the GDP numbers hit and consumer spending looks like it just chugged five Red Bulls, the talking heads on cable news will orgasm in unison, “It’s working! Look at this confidence! Look at these numbers!”
No, you buffoons, that’s not economic growth, it’s mass delusion backed by corporate greed and enough debt to make the Roman Empire look frugal. This isn’t the Invisible Hand guiding the market, this is the middle finger, dipped in gold, flipping off the last few brain cells we have left before the economy implodes in a Big Crunch of cosmic stupidity.
Star-Man, you’re my boy!
😂