A Twisted World: Irony, Hypocrisy, and Power

 

From Washington to Seoul, and New Delhi to Tokyo, the global order is defined by stark contradictions. Laws are bent, histories are rewritten, and principles are abandoned when they clash with power or profit. A series of recent events reinforces my fear of this "twisted world."

The US: A President vs. The Rule of Law (and Then, The Market)

In a landmark 6–3 ruling, the US Supreme Court delivered a significant blow to former President Donald Trump, deciding that he lacked the legal authority to impose sweeping reciprocal tariffs. The Court affirmed that under the Constitution, the power to tax and tariff lies exclusively with Congress. The International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the justices argued, is for narrow crises—not for rewriting global trade policy.

While the decision didn't touch tariffs levied under other statutes (like Section 232 on national security or Section 301 on unfair trade), it left over an estimated $100-$175 billion in collected duties in legal limbo, potentially subject to refund claims.

Predictably, Trump’s response was swift and characteristic. He announced a new 10% global tariff under a different law (Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974), a temporary measure meant to address balance-of-payments issues. But in a move that defines his modus operandi, he immediately raised the rate to 15% overnight, seemingly to "punish" the court and maximize the economic impact.

His verbal assault on the justices was even more scorching. He called them "a disgrace," "unpatriotic," "fools," and "lapdogs," even baselessly suggesting foreign influence had swayed them. In most common-law nations, this would be clear contempt of court. In the US, it is a protected, if corrosive, exercise of free speech.

Seoul vs. Washington: A Tale of Two Insurrections

On 19 February, a South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment for leading an insurrection. His crime: imposing martial law and using military force against the legislature, an act deemed a direct attack on constitutional order.

To a lay observer, the parallels with January 6, 2021, are glaring. On that day, a mob incited by Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol to halt the certification of an election. Trump was impeached for "incitement of insurrection" but acquitted by the Senate. While "treason" is a narrow legal charge in the US that doesn't apply here, the core similarity—a leader using extra-legal means to subvert democratic processes—is undeniable. The wildly different verdicts are a stark lesson in how political systems, and the power of personality, can bend the application of justice.

The "Board of Peace": A Gaza Conference Without Gaza

Trump’s inaugural "Board of Peace" meeting, held on 19 February, was ostensibly about coordinating Gaza's recovery. Twenty-six countries joined, with leaders from Vietnam, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Hungary in attendance. The US pledged $10 billion, with nine other nations adding $7 billion, and several countries offered troops for a stabilisation force.

But the meeting's true nature was revealed by two glaring absences. Neither Russia nor China sent representatives. More tellingly, no Palestinians were invited to discuss the future of their own homeland. The conference, chaired by Trump, felt less like a peace forum and more like a real estate development planning session. As one observer might cynically note, it is not hard to imagine Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, positioning himself to profit from the development of a "Riviera Trump de Gaza." The "Board of Peace" may well fizzle out, but the deals made in the shadows could have a lasting impact.

Japan’s Irony: The Pacifist Constitution and the Return of Militarism

Japan stands at a historic crossroads. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent electoral victory has given her party a two-thirds supermajority in the Lower House, the first step toward amending the country's pacifist constitution.

The irony is profound. Japan's post-war identity as a civilian power was enshrined in Article 9 of its constitution, a document largely imposed by the United States during the Allied occupation. Now, the US—seeking a stronger ally to counter China—is quietly encouraging Japan to rearm. Even more ironic is the response from Southeast Asia. Some leaders of nations that suffered brutal Japanese occupation during World War II are now welcoming a more militaristic Japan.

Whether Takaichi can overcome the hurdle of the upper house and a national referendum remains to be seen, but the momentum is unmistakable. The nation that was forced to renounce war is now being pushed to embrace the potential for it once more.

I do believe in physiognomy. Rightly or wrongly, my first and lasting instinct when I look at Takaichi is that her face conveys a slyness that makes me deeply uneasy — and it is an unease I cannot simply dismiss.

The Currency of Power: Technocrats, Bombs, and Bluster

In this twisted world, only muscle talks—but "muscle" comes in different forms.
Among Western leaders, Canada's Mark Carney stands out, not for military might or populist rhetoric, but for "Middle Power" strengths. A former head of two central banks, he understands the mechanics of economic warfare better than anyone. He could fight Trumpism on its own terrain, which all other Middle Powers seem incapable of wielding. Yet for all his technocratic skill, Carney lacks the raw political killer instinct of a Kim Jong Un, who holds a different, more existential form of power—for instance, in denying the US the right to use its airspace.

Elsewhere, leaders like those in Iran or Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro project defiance, but their threats often ring hollow. Venezuela has been robbed of its oil, and Panama of the right to exercise sovereignty over its canal. Yet they appear as regimes waiting for the next shock, their bluster masking deep-seated vulnerability.

India’s AI Aspirations and a Robotic Dog

Finally, to New Delhi, where India recently hosted a massive AI Impact Summit, touted as the largest of its kind for the Global South. With 25,000 participants, 20 world leaders, and tech CEOs, it was meant to showcase India's technological rise.

Instead, it became a case study in the gap between aspiration and reality. The conference was overshadowed by a bizarre controversy when a professor from Galgotias University presented a robotic dog named "Orion" to the public broadcaster as an indigenous innovation from the university's "Centre of Excellence." It was quickly unmasked as a Unitree Go2—a commercially available model from a Chinese company retailing for just over $2,000. Apparently, other bogus AI feats were also exhibited. But the high praises continued, nonetheless.

The incident became an embarrassing metaphor for an event that, despite its high aims, seemed to lack the very organisational intelligence the conference was meant to celebrate. It was a small, farcical moment that perfectly encapsulated a "twisted world" where image is often mistaken for reality, and the substance of innovation is sometimes just a borrowed shell.

Of course, Google and Meta need look no further if they require a super CMO. This professor can guarantee instant publicity for any project they wish to promote.

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