WORLD GRAPPLING WITH MORE CRISES THAN IT CAN HANDLE
Regardless of Biden or Trump 2.0, the world grapples with more crises than it can handle: The climate crisis, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war, rising US-China tensions, and China’s increasing aggressiveness in the South China Sea.
A second Trump term bent on retribution back home risks allowing these crises to metastasise, or worse, escalate into a global conflagration that threatens American interests despite Trump’s efforts to isolate the country.
China, North Korea and Russia will have less to fear from a distracted US.
“Asia policy will not change under Trump except, possibly, on Taiwan where the US commitment to its defence may weaken,” Bilahari Kausikan, former Permanent Secretary at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told us this morning after Trump’s conviction.
If that happens, and it changes China’s cross-strait approach, forget the tremors Asia would experience under a second Trump term – the impact would be tsunami-like.
The jury’s unanimous verdict will go down in history, but it won’t determine the outcome of the US election.
“The real verdict is going to be Nov 5 by the people,” said convicted felon Donald Trump. In this instance, Trump speaks the truth.
Steven R Okun and Thurgood Marshall Jr served in the Clinton administration as Deputy General Counsel at the Department of Transportation and White House Cabinet Secretary, respectively. Mr Okun serves as CEO of APAC Advisors in Singapore. Mr Marshall practices law in Washington.
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