True to type given his fixation on the nineteenth century, U.S. President Donald Trump is bringing “letter diplomacy” again. However whereas Trump has taken to utilizing missives to conduct diplomacy over the previous few weeks, it’s not as a result of long-distance communication requires it, as was the case within the 18th and nineteenth centuries.
As a substitute, the letters Trump has been sending are extra like unilateral declarations of intent, significantly with regard to commerce coverage. Final week, Trump posted a sequence of open letters to the governments of over 50 U.S. commerce companions purporting to set the phrases, particularly the tariff charges, by which the U.S will commerce with them.
Among the phrases contained within the letters blindsided the recipients. For instance, whereas Trump touted reaching a commerce take care of Vietnam, officers in Hanoi had been underneath the impression they had been nonetheless negotiating with their counterparts in Washington. So Trump’s letter asserting 20 % tariffs took them by shock.
