President Donald Trump’s decision to delay higher tariffs on imports till August 1 while simultaneously issuing new levy warnings to 14 countries reinforces a now-familiar pattern in his economic strategy: pressure first, deals later ~ if at all. The tactic may appear shrewd on the surface, but beneath the rhetoric lies a high-stakes gamble with global economic stability. At the heart of the issue is Mr. Trump’s persistent belief in tariffs as leverage ~ a tool to force trade concessions, reset imbalances, and protect domestic industries. The threatened tariffs, ranging from 25 per cent to 40 per cent, target both key trading partners like Japan and South Korea and smaller economies such as Myanmar and Serbia.

The message is clear: no country is too strategic or too peripheral to be spared from this latest iteration of American trade unilateralism. Yet, Mr Trump’s own ambiguity undermines his threat. His comment that the August 1 deadline is “firm, but not........

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