Latin Americans, what is your current analysis and interpretation of what the American government is doing and how do you think it could affect Latam?
Latin Americans, what is your current analysis and interpretation of what the American government is doing and how do you think it could affect Latam?
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This current US administration is an amateur joke. I can’t believe the US is turning into a banana republic like us.
Basically, the US seems to be trying to decouple from the rest of the world preemptively. Not necessarily in an isolationist sense, but instead aiming to remove the leverage of other nations on the American economy (especially China). I would also say that it is preempting the emerging trends of independence and multipolarity and attempting to move manufacturing/industrialization back to the US, backed by whipping minorities into compliance and into the “other” category to justify the decline in living standards.
In the worst case scenario, this is pre-emptive autarky for hostile military action. I can’t say I’m certain about the plans for Canada and Greenland (I’m not very sure about what he is doing here), but Central America, Cuba and possibly even Venezuela are definitely in danger of possible incursion and operations.
“Latin Americans, trump bad?”
Yes, Trump VERY bad
Just dejavu of Chavez ideas, destroying the whole economy with radical ideas and punishing every person or organization who goes against their beliefs
They want to put pandora back in the box, but it ain’t happening.
For centuries USA has been one of the standard bearers of capitalism, taking the banner from the UK. Going around the world “opening” economies by soft power or force if necessary.
For a long while, it suited them nicely, then they realised capitalism has no master, flag or loyalty except for its board of directors. Jobs and industry started leaving US soil en-masse for cheaper labour elsewhere. Giving a big middle finger to the US working class.
Most of these jobs are never gonna return. People are accustomed and expect a minimum level of decency that third world countries can go well under to the point of near slavery. Capitalists don’t mind this at all. If they could get slavery they would take it.
It’s a global village now, and economic alliances are starting to happen without the US that are more or less sustainable. For this reason Trump has also given up on soft power and cut a bunch or “aid programmes” used to manipulate foreign policy. They are reverting to the blunt weapon of tariffs.
But, as I said, this is not the same post WW2 world where USA exploded into super power. Back then the worlds industrial centres in Europe and beyond where decimated and ravaged by war, this made USA, for a short while, the main industrial engine of the world. They got fat and enjoyed an unprecedented level of prosperity.
But this is 2025. There are more options now. At the same time as Trump raises tariffs, economies are looking elsewhere for alliances and trades. Sure, maybe not as convenient, but if there is something capitalists hate just as much, or more than tariffs, it’s uncertainty. They won’t put up with Trumps games if they can be circumvented.
Trump will not be making America Great Again by expecting the world to behave like it’s post WW2 and WW3 can’t happen in a nuclear world without making USA a casualty this time around. The Pacific and the Atlantic won’t keep them safe from destruction this time.
You can’t put pandora back in the box.
I used to think our countries were the not serious ones
America is fucking itself, its an oportunity for those who play their cards right.
Trump represents less a break from American political tradition than an acceleration of existing trends, such as the expansion of executive power, populist messaging, and economic protectionism. While his conservative populist style is distinctive, many of his policies logically extend previous administrations’ approaches, making some of the liberal outrage in Reddit seem either uninformed or disingenuous.
Consider the pattern of weakening international institutions: Obama’s withdrawal from the WTO appellate body and misuse of the UN mandate in Libya (creating today’s failed state); Biden maintaining and expanding Trump’s protectionist policies through the Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS Act and the bipartisan stance on China (remember hkw Democrats initially ridiculed Trump’s approach before adopting the same position?).
Other things include pressuring European allies to increase defense spending, unwavering support for Israel and to a lesser degree Saudi Arabia, and immigration enforcement. The treatment of Latin America as American backyard, with all that entails. Even Trump’s border policies, portrayed as anathema to the American way, appear less extreme when compared to Obama’s deportation numbers or Biden’s continuation of detention facilities
Obviously there are a ton of other things that don’t align, such as the conservative outlook (including curtailing individual rights of specific groups), Russia raproachment and stance on how American government ought to be organized. Trump is also very harsh, careless, brass and lacks any kind of refinement, but we cannot pretend that this came from nowhere. It is simply a logical step from previous American actions and inner workings
There is a plan to fix american economics problems fucking everybody else. But probably dont work and china becomes first economy in the world very fast
What I think he is trying to do rn? I think he wants to crash the market so that him and his group of elites can buy everything crashing at dirt cheap prices, it will also likely cause an increment in bond investments that will likely also lower the yields and benefit the people that already held large amounts of them (which are probably mostly the elite) and with that money added to the one won from the companies by the tariffs he plans to finance his next round of tax cuts for his group of elites, alongside all that, he is sending a very clear message and having a very clear long term plan to bring back industry and manufacturing to america, although being a plan whose potential positive effects will be felt long term, I doubt it will work since they’ll have to stay in power consecutively while its happening since the dems will likely instantly dismantle it and go to the status quo again, and I find it hard to think they’ll win 2028, they’ll very likely win 2032 due to reapportionment tho
How do I think it will affect LatAm? Prices of Local made products will go down, brands from other regions of the world will start appearing more and gain terrain in LatAm, new economic deals and trade order will be created between nations and partners, companies will try to have a separate LatAm brand to not suffer this, the LatAm exporters will take a huge hit, the price of american products or foreign products that pass through the US in the distribution network (like many japanese products) will skyrocket, greedflation will for sure happen, local and foreign mega companies will gain terrain and buyout the smaller local companies, China will further encroach on LatAm, nearshoring will be partially scared of the region, we will fall into a reccession
I think that is a normal progression of what it means becoming a multipolar world, USA citizen feel that is not fair that money is spent all around the world to maintain the status quo, being the unique superpower thanks to their soft and military power, while they are struggling back home, in their day-to-day life they feel that USA is declining, that is why they elected twice someone that promise them to make it great again, also a lot of fear from the elite class because they are not the only country that can dominate fields like artificial intelligence and technology while they lack of manufacturing industry, this give China the edge honestly, and I think that they are panicking because of it.
LATAM will be fine, we should just start to trade more with other part of the world, specially Mexico and Colombia that heavily depend on USA.
It will make us stronger.
The wisest thing is to avoid playing Trump’s game as long as possible.
But the eternal Latino politician, which is a demagogue surrounded by a cadre of useless arrogants who perceive themselves as intelligent and smart, will play that game because “dignity and sovereignty” and his/her country will suffer the consequences.
>the American government
which one
What happens in Latin America will depend on the government of each country, but it will likely lead to greater political polarization, with several countries looking to strengthen ties with China. However, there are some governments, like Milei’s, that will probably do whatever Trump says.
America is losing a lot of soft power. Trump doesn’t care because he loves hard power and just wants to pull the trigger.