Trump, Trade, and Tariffs | Understanding the Cultural Forces Behind the Current Global Shifts
- Caleb Strauss
- Jun 30
- 2 min read
The surprising shifts in American foreign policy under Trump aren't just political—they're deeply cultural.
Marco Blankenburgh and Rana Nejem break new ground by applying the Three Colors of Worldview framework to decode global politics, revealing patterns that traditional analysis misses entirely.
What Trump's Cultural Driver Reveals
Trump's leadership represents a seismic shift from America's traditional innocence-guilt orientation (centered on laws and being "right") to a power-fear approach with honor-shame as a secondary driver. His language consistently emphasizes strength, winning, and position: "America's back in charge," and "The Chinese will learn not to test us again." This fundamental change forces both domestic and international actors to recalibrate their responses.
The cultural clashes playing out globally provide fascinating case studies in intercultural misalignment. JD Vance's disastrous NATO security summit appearance violated European diplomatic conventions of respect and consensus-building. Yet the same Vance demonstrated remarkable cultural agility during his visit to India, only to revert to power-oriented rhetoric upon returning home. Meanwhile, China's response to being called "peasants" wasn't about power assertion but about restoring honor in the face of shame—a critical distinction for understanding their behavior.
Saudi Arabia's masterful reception of Trump—from F-16 escorts to purple carpets signifying royalty—shows how cultural intelligence can be strategically deployed to build relationships, while a small misstep with traditional coffee service reveals how easily cultural nuances can be missed.
In our increasingly divided world, with rising nationalism and hardening borders, intercultural agility becomes not just beneficial but essential. The journey begins with self-awareness—understanding our own cultural lenses—and extends to developing skills for effectively engaging across cultural divides, whether in family relationships, workplace collaborations, or international diplomacy.
In this episode, you will learn:
How to respond to powerful leaders making powerful decisions—you can comply, disengage, resist (if you can win), or work within the system
Why Saudi Arabia's reception of Trump displayed masterful intercultural agility through symbolic honors tailored to his worldview
How China's response to being called "peasants" demonstrates honor-shame dynamics rather than simple power assertion
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Listen to all the podcast episodes of Unlocking Cultural Agility here.
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