Reaction to Tariff Announcements by Mr. President

Scene: The Prime Minister stands outside in front of the country’s national parliament. She is surrounded by members of her cabinet and regional leaders. She is addressing a press conference 24 hours after tariffs were imposed on her country. News agencies are in front of the stage.

We anticipated that Mr. President would eventually target us with tariffs. We are not sure whether this action stems from a belief that societies operate within a zero-sum paradigm of winners and losers, where one group’s gain necessitates another’s loss, or whether it is a consequence of his country’s extreme shift to the right, resulting in governance by a small group who perceive personal benefit in a destabilized world controlled from a radicalized nation.

As those previously targeted by Mr. President’s actions have noted, tariffs will escalate costs and generate instability for all affected. Citizens of Mr. President’s country have been misled into believing that tariffs will ultimately benefit them; however, they will ultimately bear the burden of increased prices for imported food and goods. Tariffs will also inflate the cost of all imported components within the supply chain. The increased revenue generated by Mr. President’s country through tariff taxation will primarily benefit the small circle of billionaires who financially supported his campaign and now dictate his decisions, as they stand to gain from substantial tax cuts. However, this is a matter for the citizens of Mr. President’s country alone to resolve.

For decades, Mr. President’s country has endeavoured to portray itself to the world as a beacon of democracy, a purveyor of truth and justice, and an ally to those sharing similar values. It has assured the world that its various branches of government and constitutional documents provide the checks and balances necessary to prevent abuses of power in international trade, ensure adherence to international laws and protocols, and uphold diplomatic relations. Recent events have demonstrated the falsity of these claims. While it is neither our responsibility nor our intention to interfere in Mr. President’s country’s internal matters, we will pursue this failure on the international stage in all constituted international bodies.

As with other nations on which Mr. President has imposed tariffs, we will retaliate by ensuring that every cent our country loses as a result of these tariffs—and the associated increases in indirect costs—is recovered from those regions that elected Mr. President.

Today, we recognize that for Mr. President and his billionaire advisors, loyalty holds no value. The trust and respect that characterized the strong relationship our countries have cultivated over the years have been proven to be meaningless. His erratic behaviour and blatant disregard for international bodies cast doubt on the validity of any agreements previously established between our two countries.

Consequently, we are compelled to reassess our alliances and seek alternative relationships that will serve our country’s interests. Our message to the world is that we are open to exploring trade partnerships and fostering collaborations built on long-term cooperation and mutual respect.

Over the years, Mr. President’s country has persuaded us to consider their friends as our friends and their enemies as our enemies. We supported them when they alleged that one of their adversaries was engaged in espionage, and spent billions to replace infrastructure. However, through recent security disclosures, we have learned that Mr. President’s nation has conducted espionage on allies, including monitoring the communications of their leaders. In light of this, we will, with immediate effect, remove restrictions on infrastructure goods from any country and rely on our own due diligence to assess the suitability of any product integrated into our systems. This policy will apply universally, regardless of the country of origin. At the same time, we will accelerate the development and support of our domestic technology sector, ensuring our companies emerge as competitive leaders in both domestic and international markets.

The turbulent events of recent weeks have highlighted our vulnerability in software, computer, and information technologies due to our reliance on companies from Mr. President’s country. If a nation can disregard treaties and engage in actions that violate international law, what assurance do we have that it would not, in defiance of our own laws, order these companies to act in ways that harm us? Given that most of the solutions we use is proprietary and its internal workings are opaque to us, we will enact legislation mandating that all government entities and public-private partnerships in which the state holds a majority stake must adopt open-source solutions that permit code inspection. Furthermore, we will collaborate with the local private sector to identify alternatives to cloud providers from Mr. President’s country. Moreover, all entities bidding for or contracting with the government will be required to use open-source software. No new government contracts for proprietary software and services will be approved, and we anticipate that open-source alternatives will be implemented by the time existing contracts are up for renewal.

The government will support this open-source initiative through active participation in projects and financial contributions. Furthermore, educational programs will be offered to assist individuals in transitioning from proprietary solutions to open-source alternatives.

Social media is another domain dominated by Mr. President’s country. Many of the billionaires who control social media platforms have actively supported his campaign and, since he took office, have prioritized loyalty to him over the interests of their users. They possess the ability to negatively influence our society, suppress our messages, disseminate misinformation, and promote extremist content. As with other technology systems, we will strive to introduce open-source alternatives and allocate the necessary resources to enhance their utility for our citizens and the global community. Government communications will exclusively utilize these channels. We are confident that campaigns to promote and assist with the migration of our citizens to these platforms will result in a high adoption rate.

We believe that adopting open-source will not only address our concerns but will enable our country to become a leader in open-source, offering valuable and profitable services to the world.

We have addressed these developments from a political standpoint, but it is now imperative that we address our citizens. Unlike Mr. President, we will not mislead you by promising benefits. Tariffs will lead to price increases, and some companies may be forced to reduce their workforce. Some of you will experience hardship and suffering through no fault of your own. However, be assured that we will weather this storm and demonstrate to the world that no nation can take advantage of us or compromise the quality of life we are collectively building. We will emerge from this crisis stronger, more resilient, and with an improved quality of life.

Today, we are launching a nationwide campaign called “Made Here.” This campaign is designed to promote locally produced goods and services, and we urge everyone to contribute to our country by prioritizing these products in their purchases. Before buying any product or service, verify that it is locally produced; if it is not, choose a local alternative. By directing our spending towards the local economy, we will mitigate losses incurred as a result of these tariffs. Furthermore, anyone who wishes to guide clients by indicating all those products that originate from Mr. President’s country can freely do so.

Thank you, and remain strong and determined.

 

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