Fentanyl: The Real Trade War
The Sino-American “trade war” narrative is one of the most idiotic ones in recent memory, and given that it has to compete with things like “Russian collusion” that’s saying a lot. This narrative is appealing to superficial, lazy journalists, is tailor made for governments and companies looking to excuse poor results, and fits right in with the relentless anti-Trump media drumbeat.
Trade is just one weapon in a deeper geopolitical/geostrategic contest between the United States and China. This contest pits an established status quo power with an emergent, revanchist, revisionist one. These powers have fundamentally different visions for the operation of the global system.
The struggle is being waged in myriad dimensions, and often in a quite asymmetric way. One of China’s most deadly–literally–asymmetric weapons is fentanyl. And anyone who thinks that China’s shipping of massive quantities of this extremely dangerous drug to the US is not an intentional asymmetric warfare tactic is delusional.
Consider this story about the “rise and fall of an Eagle Scout’s Fentanyl Empire.” Consider this line in particular:
The case against Shamo detailed how white powder up to 100 times stronger than morphine was bought online from a laboratory in China and arrived in Utah via international mail (emphasis added).
China is the most intrusive security state in the history of the planet. In particular, its surveillance and censorship of the Internet is beyond intense. Nothing happens on the Internet in China without the security establishment/Party knowing about it, and allowing it.
Further, China is the most ruthlessly repressive state in the world, and has absolutely no compunction about summarily executing those who cross it. They will even go one better, and sell the organs of those they execute. If it wanted to crack down on the fentanyl trade, it could do it. With extreme prejudice.
So if it is possible for an American to buy massive quantities of fentanyl online in China, it is because the Chinese government wants to sell massive quantities of fentanyl to Americans.
That is the real trade war that is going on. The trade in fentanyl is a deliberate tactic by China to kill Americans and weaken American society.
China is playing for keeps. Yet a large portion of the American establishment has been corrupted and co-opted by China, and/or is so blinded by Trump hatred that they turn a blind eye to this conduct, when they are not bewailing any attempt to confront China.
Yes, the opioid crisis–which should really be called the fentanyl crisis, because prescription opioids are not the big killer–reflects serious problems in American society. But it is necessary to recognize that China is exploiting those problems in a most cynical way. By all means attempt to address the demand issue, but do not ignore the supply issue. And in particular do not ignore the fact that the supply issue is only one aspect of a struggle between the United States and the worlds most repressive and most totalitarian power.
Excellent point and 100% accurate.
Comment by TomHend — September 17, 2019 @ 7:30 pm
Generally, it takes two to tango. The U.S. being the most powerful country in the world, if China is able to sell massive quantities of fentanyl to Americans for years without severe repercussions, it’s because the U.S. government wants it to.
“China is the most intrusive security state in the history of the planet”
China is also among the more corrupt states on the planet.
“it is because the Chinese government wants to sell massive quantities of fentanyl to Americans.”
or can be persuaded by a portion of the proceeds to turn a blind eye. Like that “large portion of the American eatablishment”.
“These powers have fundamentally different visions for the operation of the global system.”
“Yet a large portion of the American establishment has been corrupted and co-opted by China”
Thus demonstrating their revealed preference for the vision offered by China.
As that joke goes: the optimists are studying English, the pessimists are studying Mandarin and the realists are studying firearms.
Comment by Ivan — September 18, 2019 @ 3:29 am
Is using fentanyl legal in China?
I ask because all the spouting about the horrors of the Opium Wars tends to overlook the fact that using opium was perfectly legal in, for instance, the UK and US.
That hardly justifies the wars but it does lend some perspective.
Comment by dearieme — September 18, 2019 @ 5:06 am
‘China is playing for keeps. Yet a large portion of the American establishment has been corrupted and co-opted by China’
Barbarian management technique No. 1 – proven to work very well in hundreds of years of application.
Looking at the US from the outside, I wonder sometimes if the US elites actually care at all about the country they live in and the less fortunate people they share it with. The only people who seem to take the health of their country seriously are in the military – I bloody hope they start finding their voice soon. There’s not much time left.
Comment by EX-Global Super-Regulator on Lunch Break — September 18, 2019 @ 8:28 am
It’s good to see an economist who doesn’t go along with Mark Perry’s line, “Roll over and play dead.” China is at war with the US and has been for a decade. It’s not a shooting war, yet. Crump in his endearingly inept way does at least have the aim of avoiding the continuation of diplomacy by other means.
Comment by Michael van der Riet — October 14, 2019 @ 11:13 pm