The speed with which 2018 has transpired is breath-taking. So many trials and confusion have marked this year along with the brief victories and tranquil moments.
It is as if Time has been compressed and the events that normally takes two years to arise are squeezed into one year.
It is as if Time has been compressed and the events that normally takes two years to arise are squeezed into one year.
What can one say about 2018: the self-crowning of the Eastern Emperor, the trade war between the two largest economies in the world and the descent into political and social anarchy in the streets of Paris and the corridors of the British Parliament.
Meanwhile, against this backdrop is the media attention on the controversial figure of President Donald Trump whose tweets and grand gestures have provoked mockery, consternation and jitters in world markets.
Led by the emerging markets, world stock markets have all retreated after the brief bull run of 2017.
What next in 2019? Are we heading into a perfect storm of economic, political and social denouement? Or will there be an anchor of stability from an act of goodwill and wisdom on the part of leaders?
What next in 2019? Are we heading into a perfect storm of economic, political and social denouement? Or will there be an anchor of stability from an act of goodwill and wisdom on the part of leaders?
Many are blaming the unpredictable American President for the world's turbulence. There are three possible scenarios regarding the Trump factor:
(1) The Opportunist: He is merely an opportunist taking advantage of the social and economic discontent with globalisation and the concentration of wealth to the top 1%, of whom he is a member.
(2) The Maverick Game Changer: Trump is the real deal who has come to drain the swamp of Washington's and the globalists corrupt order. He will bring back economic prosperity to middle-class Americans and create jobs for the bottom 40%. In international affairs, he will rationalise America's role by taking a less prominent part in financing military engagements in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Nato, etc.
(3) The Fall Guy: This is the most dangerous scenario as Trump has been set up to be the fall guy who will trigger the economic collapse of the U.S. in a contrived Hegelian conflict with the Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell who will be adamantly committed to raising interest rates, thereby unraveling a debt crisis in the U.S. and global financial markets.
In the domestic political sphere, Trump will create more political and cultural divisions between the the so-called Christian Right vs the Liberal Left, the nationalists vs the immigration friendly globalists, between the whites and the coloreds, etc.
These divisions will play on the tribalistic instincts of humanity and will rarely be analysed nor debated with any intellectual depth.
In the domestic political sphere, Trump will create more political and cultural divisions between the the so-called Christian Right vs the Liberal Left, the nationalists vs the immigration friendly globalists, between the whites and the coloreds, etc.
These divisions will play on the tribalistic instincts of humanity and will rarely be analysed nor debated with any intellectual depth.
Based on these 3 scenarios and after two years of the controversial US Presidency, it is indeed time for us, world citizens, to take a deep breath and consider which scenario is likely to turn out to be the most likely.
I have few doubts that the roller coaster ride that we went through in 2018 is likely to be even more fast-paced, sudden and dramatic in 2019.
There is an uneasy feeling that the Trump factor is the Fall Guy scenario as the intellectual discourse about this man are so polarised and superficial that we may totally miss the mark on his true agenda.
Lastly, one FB post discussing whether Trump is the real deal or not, goes straight to his personal beliefs or value system:
"The test of the truthfulness of a man (or any woman) is the genuine foundation of his personal values. Not in the outward expressions of his words, actions or policies in the case of an elected leader.
One example: President Trump is clearly not a Christian as he does not believe in the original sin of man and the redemptive power of repentance when a person becomes a Christian.
In other words, he is riding on waves of different interest groups (Christian vs liberals) to justify his policies.Why not explain the secular basis for immigration control, for the protracted trade war with China, for the peace deals with North Korea's anti-Christian regime?
Conclusion: his lack of universal appeal and folksy American patriotism makes him out to be a semi-real deal. Few people can suss out let alone predict a man whose common trait is his consistent unpredictability."
There is an uneasy feeling that the Trump factor is the Fall Guy scenario as the intellectual discourse about this man are so polarised and superficial that we may totally miss the mark on his true agenda.
Lastly, one FB post discussing whether Trump is the real deal or not, goes straight to his personal beliefs or value system:
"The test of the truthfulness of a man (or any woman) is the genuine foundation of his personal values. Not in the outward expressions of his words, actions or policies in the case of an elected leader.
One example: President Trump is clearly not a Christian as he does not believe in the original sin of man and the redemptive power of repentance when a person becomes a Christian.
In other words, he is riding on waves of different interest groups (Christian vs liberals) to justify his policies.Why not explain the secular basis for immigration control, for the protracted trade war with China, for the peace deals with North Korea's anti-Christian regime?
Conclusion: his lack of universal appeal and folksy American patriotism makes him out to be a semi-real deal. Few people can suss out let alone predict a man whose common trait is his consistent unpredictability."
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