Keeping sanity in the era of sanctions and tariffs

Students movement is often praised as movement of change, a prove of agent of change existence, the messengers of oppressed people, and other graceful labels. The courses of history worldwide have confirmed it as well. Nevertheless, there was one grim occurrence shown that student movement can be lured easily and lead to savage hearts interest. Such interest of a later days deep remorse and becomes a burden that next generations may have to deal with years ahead. 

On May 10^th, 1933, 70 thousands of people gathered in Opernplatz Berlin, Germany.  Most of them were students who brought at least 20 thousands books by high-profile authors, such as Bertolt Bercht, Karl Marx, Ernest Hemingway, Hellen Keller, Thomas Mann, Erich Maria Remarque, etc. With a musical performance as the soundtrack, and vowed of “against the un-German spirit”, they thrown away those books into a huge bonfire.  The similar student-actions also rose up in other cities with high-profile universities, where students destroyed all authors’ works who were against racism ideology. 

Books burning was an absolute annihilation of human’s creation, sense, and will manifestation, which was viewed not in the line with a certain group’s idea. Books burning perpetrators were sure that great ideas were theirs, others’ ideas were incorrect because they were different. As if we still could heard they said, “The world belongs to us because we are right”. A not so deviated way of thinking, unfortunately, still recurring even Hitler was long gone. As OCD was the source of Hitler’s insanity (see my earlier article here), post-truth Hitler’s actions are triggered by a non-abstract matter, and it can be touched and saved. Money. 

It is not a headline news that nervousness of being through hardship due to lack of money may get one blinded and ruled out rational thinking,  as the ongoing trend is manipulating common sense to clear the path of how to earn faster and safe. Rational thinking is manipulated as a delusion that a high-class will be doomed when they are no longer high-class people. Nevertheless, wheel of fate is always turning. They who are up above may fall, eventually, pushed by continuous cause and effect process. 

Sanction is the weapon

Pride, or admiration over one’s ability, is an absolute need as a mechanism to hold on and move forward reaching the goals. However, seizing is easier than defending. Pride may collapse when counterfactual-minded is more intense than any effort to support the pride itself. One of the most current real example is “Make America Great Again” (which has been revised as “Keep America Great”). It’s hard to imagine that a human on Earth doesn’t recognize the word “America”. Popular culture diplomacy has successfully introduced the country’s music, movies, and culinary as worldwide trendsetter. Not to mention dollar domination as a required exchange instrument in international trade. Still, all of these superiorities are not enough for a Donald Trump. 

As most statesmen, he urges his country to reach highest achievement in all sectors, especially industry. Even so, the vision is hardly to evoke since American industries prefers to build their factories in China. US government is actively promoting workers welfare, but what about the welfare of business owners and their networks? Business high profiles see payroll regulation is difficult to fulfill. As to reduce production, distribution, marketing and other costs, some of business owners try to save their income as they move their factories to China. US government has tried to persuade enterprises key officers to make business establishment within the country and job openings for Americans as their main concerns.  These businessmen don’t seem listen to this call. It can’t be helped, nationalism must accept its defeat under the feet of the will to seek personal prosperity. 

Some countries find other way to declare nationalism, that is strengthened state defense system. Such effort requires innovative and effective main defense system equipment, not only to fight against threats in the form of enemies but also unpredicted phenomenon, natural disasters. If this group of objects are humans, they will be considered as conquerors. Does this view become the cause of US hard response against other countries’ initiative to modernize their defense system without its interference? 

News keep us informed about the main reason behind US sanctions on Iran and North Korea is progressive development of both countries efforts on nuclear technology and uranium enrichment. On the other hand, history has marked US as the one who dropped the atom bombs from the sky of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Does this country hide its anxiety of not able to compete in the nuclear technology race behind the excuse of the worldwide dismay over the returning to the World War II era?

The ups and downs of the trade war turmoil between US and China have drowned the facts about other trade war which just started off between US and India (and several countries). One among the cases is new tariff which imposes on Indian export goods to US, and India has retaliated the policy ever since. Just before the smaller scale of trade war began, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made his decision on Russian S-400 missile system purchasing. And India becomes the recent US tariff’s target under CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act). 

Meanwhile in Indonesia, story surrounds a barter agreement of Russian SU-35 with Indonesian commodities has been looming since 2016. On the third year after the news publication, there is no clear sign yet when Republic of Indonesia government will execute the arrival of four type missiles fighter jets. As Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu confirmed to “settle the issue in the upcoming end of year”, as well as casting back claim of unpreparedness on each other between Trade Ministry and Defense Ministry, could this be a signal of fear of another sanction and or tariff? 

All countries need state income to build its citizen’s welfare. Unfortunately, not all leaders are wise enough to make their minds it’s not only his or her own country in need of cash. In order to legitimate and to protect its own economic interests, a leader may be tempted to abandon international interaction ethics and a fair business competition. Facts and laws are orchestrated to legalize acts of stopping its rivals. If such country is a super power one, is there any chance for a non super power country to take a stand? 

The best defense 

As a matter of fact, economic stability is a country’s best defense, not only for the sake of arranging attractive numbers of economic indicators which in turn increase the value of currency. Not just to avoid poverty or financial difficulty, nor for the sake of state officials’ prosperity. There are countable cases of uproar in countries around the world started by economic inequality. Under a tough circumstance, one tends to seek for support in order to release themselves from such trouble. Some of us often neglect naively that asking for help may be seen as a weakness by others plan to take benefits from our adversity, especially if the offered help is too good to be true, very convenient and not aiming to educate us to avoid making the same mistake in the future.

Globalization has tied developing countries’ currency value become dependent to certain developed countries’ currency value. It’s not as easy as flipping over the palm of hand to release our currency value from any countries’ currency value, as it is almost impossible to make through. Does this mean the fate must be accepted unconditionally for being a mediocre country until God-knows-when? Of course not, doesn’t it?

New innovations on improving economy and increasing revenue will gain positive outcome only if they are followed by determination for the desirable goal. If we are unable to impress the world to accept our view, we can always conceive ourselves to face any possibilities. We are free to react, but note that a promise is a debt. We should be proud of our government capability to pay their debts, and we also should be proud of our ability to act in line with the mutual agreement. Trust is expensive, but it’s not only if we can keep our promise. This is how we should maintain a harmonic defense system motivationally and structurally. (dswast)