It’s a Global Shell Game! Wanna Play?

There are many higher learning schools of business in America and many accepted processes for negotiations. By overlapping these processes from all sources, one can be lead to believe that there are easily twenty-two best negotiating practices, dispersed throughout the five basic negotiating stages. Some of the processes fall into specific stages, some cross over, and some are ongoing throughout. The five general and basic negotiation stages are: preparation, information exchange and verification, bargaining, conclusion, and execution. Preparation requires a thorough evaluation of one’s own facts and interest, by all participants.  Information exchange and verification is critical for creating and discovering value, understanding interests, and building mutual rapport and trust. Bargaining allows participants to make, discuss and manage concessions. Conclusions allow participants to finalize a mutual agreement based on the interests of both parties being met. And execution facilitates the implementation, adjustment, and ongoing strengthening of relationships.

In spite of many years of business education and experience, President Trump has chosen to scrap all of these time-tested tools and processes, so as to implement the old schoolyard bully technique of smash them in the mouth, tell them what you want and to immediately go get it for you. Unfortunately, in the case of both Kim Jung-un and President XI Jinping, their response was instead to smash him in the mouth and instruct him to pound sand where “the moon don’t shine.”  Instead of preparing and assembling a truly cohesive presentation to display the facts and damage being incurred, the American President saw fit, in a “tweet” to call China’s “fair trade” attempts “STUPID TRADE.”  Additionally, rather than meticulously spelling out some specific dangers of North Korea’s foray into the “global nuclear family,” the American president has seen fit to simply label him “Rocket Man” in a tweet and move on.

The foreign press is apprehensively watching the American president’s elementary displays and is most probably concerned about the clear cut lack of protocol, finesse, and leadership it represents. In today’s Financial Times, White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro reported that, “China’s reaction to Mr. Trump’s legitimate defense of the American homeland has been a Great Wall of denial — despite incontrovertible evidence of Beijing’s illicit and protectionist behaviors.” The discovery and detailed explanation of “incontrovertible evidence” is exactly what is needed in Stage One, but to throw it out in the public eye early and without any type of visible support is nothing short of STUPID!

My hope is that President Trump is using the time created by this lame “trade war” diversion, to address the most truly pressing economic issue that we have right now, that being the potentially sudden reduction or replacement of the U.S. Dollar as the premier global reserve currency, due to China’s petrodollar circumvention ploy which started in earnest early last year, became a viable reality last October, and actually began trading oil futures today. This action, combined with Russia’s sale of the S-400 defensive missile system to Saudi Arabia, has laid all the necessary groundwork for the petrodollar’s demise. The best defense for these and a litany of additional economic barbs is an increase in physical precious metals ownership. Call American Bullion for assistance today, at (800) 653-GOLD (4653).