The Art of Diplomatic Shade
How many countries around the world are genuinely fed up with Trump's America but can actually say so out loud? Well, Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong is definitely one of them. Brilliant political insight seems to run in the family – over a decade ago, his father Lee Kuan Yew stood right in front of American officials and basically predicted that if America doesn't get its act together, it's heading for trouble. And here we are.
At a recent economics society dinner, Lee Hsien Loong threw some serious shade at America's April 2nd "Liberation Day" announcement of reciprocal tariffs. He coined a rather clever term for America: "the world, temporarily minus one" – essentially saying the global economic framework carries on just fine, thank you very much, with America sitting in the corner having a tantrum. Though let's be honest, "temporarily minus one" is a bit of a mouthful. The Financial Times wasn't messing about and just went with "call to boycott America" as their headline. Straight to the point, no diplomatic niceties.
Walking the Tightrope
Now, Singapore hosts US military bases and has been riding high for nearly 70 years, thanks to its strategic position controlling East-West shipping routes. So Lee Hsien Loong has to be incredibly careful with his words – he can't afford to completely burn bridges with Washington. If he came out swinging too hard, he'd basically be the villain calling for a global boycott of America, wouldn't he?
So he wraps it up nicely: "America − it still has to do business with the world – you still need rare earths, you still need all sorts of things from the rest, from the other countries. Temporarily, meaning maybe at some point you can come back and participate again in a more open and constructive way."
But here's where Lee Hsien Loong delivered the killer blow: "You can fail to follow economic principles, but you cannot repeal an economic law. Whether you follow it or not, the economic law exists. That is just the way the world works; that is just the way human societies work" It's like saying – look, you might think you're tough enough to ignore reality, but economic laws don't care about your feelings. The world keeps spinning regardless.
The Father's Prophetic Warning
Lee Hsien Loong's comments were already pretty pointed, but his father Lee Kuan Yew was even more direct back in 2009. During a US visit as Minister Mentor, right after witnessing the "too big to fail" financial meltdown, he started diplomatically enough. He acknowledged that China would need at least 100 years to match America's living standards and tech levels, and India would take even longer due to its diversity challenges.
But then came the sucker punch. Lee Kuan Yew laid it out plain and simple: America couldn't maintain global leadership without holding its Pacific position, and maintaining that position was impossible if the deficit kept spiraling and the dollar kept weakening. And just about everyone knows America has zero ability to manage its absolutely astronomical national debt.
The Inevitable Decline
Lee Kuan Yew didn't stop there. He basically predicted America's downfall: Once America's deficit and dollar weakness continue spiraling, and global financial players – bankers, hedge funds – see it as an unsolvable mess, they'll move their assets elsewhere. And then? Game over.
He was essentially forecasting the irreversible decline of American hegemony, but did Americans listen? Nope. They just got more reckless, and now we have Trump acting like the rest of the world doesn't exist.
You know what this reminds me of? Those classic Andy Lau lines: "I speak out loud, but you don't listen; you listen, but you don't understand; you understand, but you don't take action; you take action, but you do it wrong; you're wrong, but you don't admit it; you admit it, but you don't change; you change, but you're not convinced – so what do you want?"
Honestly, those lines probably won't be out of date for the next century. Some things never change, especially when it comes to American exceptionalism meeting economic reality.
Deep Blue
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Wang Yi just put the world on notice. "The international situation is getting more turbulent and intertwined," he said. "Unilateral bullying is intensifying. The sudden change in Venezuela has drawn high level of attention from the international community."
He then added: "We never believe that any country can play the role of world policeman, nor do we agree that any country can claim itself to be an international judge."
This isn't diplomatic chitchat. Wang Yi added that "the sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law." It's a warning shot fired directly at Trump's so-called "New Monroe Doctrine"—and it signals China will push back hard against neo-colonialism. One story from China's past shows exactly what that means.
The Incheon Gamble
In mid-September 1950, MacArthur pulled off the audacious Incheon landing—later hailed as "the most successful gamble" in military history. He bet everything on one card: that North Korean forces would be lax defending a port with terrible geography. The bet paid off. US forces achieved total surprise, cut enemy supply lines, and reversed the early disasters of the Korean War.
The Korean Peninsula was strategically vital to both China and the Soviet Union. They planned to back North Korea. At 1:00 a.m. on October 3, Zhou Enlai urgently summoned K. M. Panikkar, India's ambassador to China. His message was blunt: "If US forces cross the 38th parallel, we cannot stand by—we will have to step in."
The CCP's official Party history records this moment and emphasizes one critical word: "管" (to intervene). The Chinese term posed a translation challenge. If the wording was too soft, the Americans might miss China's intent. So Premier Zhou asked his foreign affairs secretary, Pu Shouchang, to choose carefully. Pu used "intervene"—making China's intention crystal clear. China would step in and interfere. The message reached Washington quickly through India. Yet "the US side chose to ignore it, and US forces brazenly crossed the 38th parallel on October 7."
Crossing the Yalu
American troops didn't just cross the 38th parallel—they surged in force toward the Yalu River and raced along the China-North Korea and North Korea-Soviet borders to the Tumen River. What happened next? On October 19, 1950, the Chinese People's Volunteers crossed the Yalu River. After five successive campaigns, they drove UN forces back from the Yalu area to near the 38th parallel.
On July 27, 1953, China, North Korea, and the UN Command signed the Korean Armistice Agreement. Many believe Mao Zedong's decision to send troops delivered China a stunning victory—a weaker power defeating a stronger one. People now say China "won so hard it felt unreal."
MacArthur—that "godlike general"—couldn't let it go. After his success at Incheon, the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to expand his gains. He proposed a radical escalation to Washington: first, blockade China's coast; second, use naval and air power for unlimited bombing to completely destroy China's industrial production and infrastructure; third, bring in Nationalist (KMT) forces to "retake the mainland" and tie China down. Then fourth, MacArthur went even further with a wild proposal—drop 20 to 30 atomic bombs on China and create a radioactive "death zone" along the Yalu River between China and North Korea.
Trump's MacArthur Moment
Today's Trump thinks arresting Venezuela's president and his wife means he can bulldoze the whole world. One moment he talks about "taking over" Venezuela. The next he claims he can make personnel arrangements for that country, sending Marco Rubio to serve as a "governor." Meanwhile, US oil giants are poised to "swallow up" Venezuela's petroleum assets. Trump's ambition follows the same logic as MacArthur's back then.
MacArthur's recklessness enraged America's allies. They feared World War III. More importantly, the Soviet Union—which also possessed atomic weapons—was deeply dissatisfied with the US and warned that "bombs can be answered with bombs." President Truman faced an impossible choice: keep his war hero or keep the peace. He chose peace. On April 11, 1951, Truman fired MacArthur—ending the career of America's most celebrated general. MacArthur became one of the century's biggest cautionary tales.
The lesson is simple, direct, and brutal. Trump thinks everyone is scared of him and that he can keep throwing out ever more outrageous "deals" at will. That will invite disaster—because it crosses the tolerance threshold of the great-power balance. The major powers will have to "intervene."
How will they intervene? Great powers have many tools in their toolbox. Think of Schrödinger's cat—you open the box yourself and you'll find out the outcome. This isn't a joke. Do you dare try?
