Today's Briefing: America Is Shifting Toward Control Over Collaboration
A cultural analysis of how America’s shift toward authoritarian decision-making is destabilizing trade and silencing scientific research.
Open markets and scientific leadership once defined the US—both driven by shared knowledge and cooperation. That’s changing.
Trump’s latest tariffs have alienated economic allies as the US moves from negotiation-based trade agreements to unilateral economic control.
Meanwhile, his administration’s cuts to federal research funding are sidelining scientists and turning expertise into a matter of political loyalty.
These shifts aren’t just policy changes—they represent a deeper cultural move toward authoritarianism, where power is centralized, dissent is punished, and collaboration is abandoned.
What happens when trust in economic and scientific institutions disappears? The consequences are already unfolding.
America’s Trade Power Is Collapsing as Allies Push Back
Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs have triggered global retaliation, with Canada and the EU imposing countermeasures worth billions.
For decades, the US built trade relationships through negotiation and shared decision-making. That’s how modern economies work—through structured, low-power distance cooperation. But Trump is abandoning that model, embracing an authoritarian, high-power distance approach where trade policy is dictated rather than discussed. The result? Allies are turning elsewhere, reducing their reliance on the US market.
The long-term damage is clear. When political whim rather than structured agreements dictate trade, businesses hesitate to invest, prices rise, and economic influence erodes. If the US continues down this path, it won’t be an economic superpower much longer.
America’s War on Science Is Destroying Its Technological Edge
Trump’s administration is cutting research funding and replacing scientific expertise with political loyalty.
For generations, the US operated under a low-power distance scientific culture—where researchers directly influenced policy, and knowledge drove decision-making. Countries like Germany, Canada, and Australia still operate this way, leading to innovation.
But under Trump, the US is shifting to a high-power distance model—one where the ruling party dictates scientific policy, expertise is dismissed, and researchers are silenced.
The consequences will be severe. When governments replace knowledge with political convenience, industries suffer, medical advancements slow, and global influence fades. If America continues down this path, it will lose its place as a world leader in technology and research—while other nations surge ahead.
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Book Recommendation
I’ve always been fascinated by what drives our thoughts and decisions, so Mining the Psyche by M.J. Hornby grabbed my attention. This book explores the hidden forces shaping our minds—how we process experiences, form beliefs, and navigate the world.
In a time when everything feels more polarized, understanding how we think (and why) feels more important than ever. If you’re curious about psychology, philosophy, and the deeper layers of human behavior, this one’s worth reading.
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