Trump has few cards as Iran is winning the Battle of Hormuz by slowly chocking out the global economy while their powerful missile arsenal is expelling US military power from the Persian Gulf.
I like that you link the trickster to comedy--his natural home. But with Trump I think we are looking at the much rarer version, the tragic trickster. Iago, who spun everyone around him into a knot of jealousy and murder until the stage was littered with bodies and no marriage to salvage. Loki, who started as the gods’ cunning companion and ended up steering the whole world toward Ragnarök, where everything burns and no one reconciles. As you note in your essay, international capital is looking for an off-ramp from the US, and Trump may be the figure this process gets pinned on.
Marx, Braudel, Arrighi--and I am sure plenty of others--have pointed out how it works. Starting with Venice, the prototype of a capitalist hegemon, after a certain point in the productive cycle of accumulation capital gets wandering eyes and gathers, one way or another, into the next hegemonic node. Venice to Amsterdam (we could argue about Antwerp), then to London, then to New York, and now we are in the middle of Beijing becoming the central node of global capitalism.
If this war continues on its current trajectory, the BRICS coalition will end up as the new masters of the Persian Gulf. The tragic trickster gets remembered as the one whose antics led to this geopolitical landslide without quite meaning to.
The trickster captured by the tragedy; and that in this final line of defence failing, that a super-tragedy is both inevitable and imminent.
That the trickster takes tragedy and produces the comedic moment of relief (that the tragedy does not have to be fulfilled) → but that now this guy is captured it’s essentially a fait accompli.
Excellent summary Kevin, from a much broader perspective than available elsewhere.
In particular, the references to the hillbilly sideshow version of the Trickster archetype, which is Trump and the strengthening of the Aryan Iranian asabiyya , the core of their resistance , tempered by a keen strategic sense.
A very welcome change from the US centric “analysis” from Sachs, Mearshimer, and the legions of brainwashed and mentally challenged ex US military hand wringers on social media.
The MSM of course is in it’s usual subterranean realms of oxygen deprivation induced rambling inanity.
Kevin, excellent article as always. Though-provoking since it just gives so much mental stimulation. I especially liked the idea of two wars contradicting each other for the US, well seen.
Another interesting take is "abundance slowly dissolves that bond". I would say yes, and no. Yes, in the obvious sense that you mention, namely that families and communities are tied together to a large extent by economic dependencies; if these dependencies become less strong, like in a wealth free-market society, then there is definitely a tendency towards dissolution. But look at what is happening in the Western welfare states : free market capitalism is stunted, but the social bonds are still dissolving, and even faster. Why? Because individuals don't "need" their families and communities any longer due to the socialist state relationship with the individual, with the clear and stated goal to destroy those ancient bonds by replacing these natural dependencies with artificiel state funded social services. So we are in the strange situation today in the West, in which the move towards freedom that is so much needed, would actually have the opposite effect : tighten family and community bonds as it would remove the welfare dependency for the majority. See my point on the tragedy of the commons related to democracy:
So when you say, the US should have "helped them get rich" in order to destroy them; well, yes, but they tried that with China with exactly that expectation, but as we all know, and it failed miserably.
** Finally, your use of Jung's archetypical "trickster" is brilliant on Trump, so right. Fantastic part of the article. And this shows we are in the same camp of those who do not believe that Trump is mad or senile. He may not be so well informed, but he clearly acting out a deception strategy, partly it is even instinct in him I think.
I wrote something on Trump as Trickster on this issue
https://tk12942973.substack.com/p/after-the-upcoming-assassination
I like that you link the trickster to comedy--his natural home. But with Trump I think we are looking at the much rarer version, the tragic trickster. Iago, who spun everyone around him into a knot of jealousy and murder until the stage was littered with bodies and no marriage to salvage. Loki, who started as the gods’ cunning companion and ended up steering the whole world toward Ragnarök, where everything burns and no one reconciles. As you note in your essay, international capital is looking for an off-ramp from the US, and Trump may be the figure this process gets pinned on.
Marx, Braudel, Arrighi--and I am sure plenty of others--have pointed out how it works. Starting with Venice, the prototype of a capitalist hegemon, after a certain point in the productive cycle of accumulation capital gets wandering eyes and gathers, one way or another, into the next hegemonic node. Venice to Amsterdam (we could argue about Antwerp), then to London, then to New York, and now we are in the middle of Beijing becoming the central node of global capitalism.
If this war continues on its current trajectory, the BRICS coalition will end up as the new masters of the Persian Gulf. The tragic trickster gets remembered as the one whose antics led to this geopolitical landslide without quite meaning to.
Yes! That is where I was going with it.
The trickster captured by the tragedy; and that in this final line of defence failing, that a super-tragedy is both inevitable and imminent.
That the trickster takes tragedy and produces the comedic moment of relief (that the tragedy does not have to be fulfilled) → but that now this guy is captured it’s essentially a fait accompli.
Excellent summary Kevin, from a much broader perspective than available elsewhere.
In particular, the references to the hillbilly sideshow version of the Trickster archetype, which is Trump and the strengthening of the Aryan Iranian asabiyya , the core of their resistance , tempered by a keen strategic sense.
A very welcome change from the US centric “analysis” from Sachs, Mearshimer, and the legions of brainwashed and mentally challenged ex US military hand wringers on social media.
The MSM of course is in it’s usual subterranean realms of oxygen deprivation induced rambling inanity.
Thank you Hussein!!
My pleasure
This cannot be accidental😶🌫️
"Cards" Such a haunted word evoking an over confident Oval office.
Kevin, excellent article as always. Though-provoking since it just gives so much mental stimulation. I especially liked the idea of two wars contradicting each other for the US, well seen.
Another interesting take is "abundance slowly dissolves that bond". I would say yes, and no. Yes, in the obvious sense that you mention, namely that families and communities are tied together to a large extent by economic dependencies; if these dependencies become less strong, like in a wealth free-market society, then there is definitely a tendency towards dissolution. But look at what is happening in the Western welfare states : free market capitalism is stunted, but the social bonds are still dissolving, and even faster. Why? Because individuals don't "need" their families and communities any longer due to the socialist state relationship with the individual, with the clear and stated goal to destroy those ancient bonds by replacing these natural dependencies with artificiel state funded social services. So we are in the strange situation today in the West, in which the move towards freedom that is so much needed, would actually have the opposite effect : tighten family and community bonds as it would remove the welfare dependency for the majority. See my point on the tragedy of the commons related to democracy:
https://finnandreen.substack.com/p/europes-eclipse-of-intelligence-democracy
So when you say, the US should have "helped them get rich" in order to destroy them; well, yes, but they tried that with China with exactly that expectation, but as we all know, and it failed miserably.
** Finally, your use of Jung's archetypical "trickster" is brilliant on Trump, so right. Fantastic part of the article. And this shows we are in the same camp of those who do not believe that Trump is mad or senile. He may not be so well informed, but he clearly acting out a deception strategy, partly it is even instinct in him I think.
This is Iranian propaganda.