The culture of the winner in the US and its geopolitical consequences

The ultra-competitive American culture only allows winners. Becoming a loser is a cruel stigma. And since wealth rhymes with triumph, and poverty with failure and lack of understanding, (almost) everyone gives everything for the podium. The cruelty of these synonyms flanks the old dialectic of the master (lovable) and the slave (despised). Remember the happy Trump firing apprentices on television: “You're fired,” he machine-gunned.

To win and prevail, the tactic is to always attack, never admit error and declare victory in any case. Thus, Trump lavishes mendacity such as that Hormuz is open and that he has won his crusade against Iran. It's not madness, at least not just madness. Rather, he believes that he will impose the appearance of his alleged greatness on universal evidence. And he will go from obvious loser to supposed winner.

No one is obliged to agree with their fictions. The red carpet reception for the Chinese president has been spectacular… and kitsch. Bad imitation of the cheers and laurel wreaths that the Romans offered to their victorious generals and revered emperors. This recognition solemnizes the defeat he has suffered before Xi Jinping. Two years ago it sought to humiliate him – like the rest, although more intensely – through disproportionate, unjustified and illegal tariffs, as ruled by the US justice system.

Xi's pulse did not tremble, he returned the ball, and sat down to wait, a Confucian more than a Marxist. The tycoon rewound, agreed to freeze the mutual aggressive measures (today the tariff pressure is tied), and now extends the period of validity of the status quo. When for the Trumpist doctrine the emerging China was the greatest strategic enemy, the first economic competitor and the only technological rival. Decorating him means swallowing it.

Something similar is happening with Iran. First, it would destroy the evil regime in weeks, which would collapse with the bombings that began on February 28. As he resisted, he sought to eliminate the nuclear potential of the victim. As his theocratic despotism did not let up, he ended up forging two ceasefire agreements. The last one, broken this summer, replaced war with a maritime and economic blockade, presented as more effective. Iran responded, circumventing the embargo on its oil with a thousand tricks.

And it attacked its Arab neighbors consorted in a thousand private businesses with Trump... and fired against the most powerful, Saudi Arabia, through Houthi rebels, who expanded the crisis to the Red Sea. Washington abandoned it to its fate (be careful with the memory of the sheikhs!), and energy-related inflation ends up harming the North American electorate. It's been seven months: Goliath retreats before David.