US tariffs to rattle global trade, backfire on US -- Egyptian expert

The United States has started a trade war "believing it will ultimately serve its interests," but will only find it straining trade relations with numerous countries.

Sweeping US tariffs could destabilize global trade and ultimately backfire on the United States itself, an Egyptian analyst told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Mokhtar Ghobashy, secretary general of the Al-Farabi Center for Political Studies in Egypt, said that US President Donald Trump "dropped an economic bomb on the global trade system," and that while the repercussions will be felt worldwide, the United States may be among the hardest hit.

Trump's tariff package includes a 10 percent baseline tariff on goods from all countries and "reciprocal tariffs" targeting economies with allegedly "high trade barriers" to US exports. Some Middle Eastern countries, including Syria, Iraq and Jordan, are facing levies as high as 41 percent, 39 percent and 20 percent, respectively.

"In the Arab world, Iraq maintains an annual trade surplus of nearly 6 billion US dollars with the United States, while Jordan recorded in 2024 a trade surplus of about 1 billion dollars with the country," he said, explaining why some of the regional countries were dealt with a heavier blow.

Trump's thinking behind his tariff measures, he said, is clearly dominated by an "America First" mentality, promoting unilateralism and reshaping international power dynamics in favor of Washington.

The United States is going through one of its most dangerous phases — "imperial overstretch," meaning it has hit its peak and is now facing a decline. But still, Trump believes the tariffs could help preserve US status as the world's sole superpower and prevent a rapid decline, he noted.

"Many economists have criticized these US actions, warning that they could lead to a major global recession," Ghobashy said.

The ongoing tariff tensions could shift global trade dynamics in ways that would undermine US interests, he warned.

"In this context, it has been suggested that the EU and China might strengthen their trade relations," he said, adding that some nations may even begin to distance themselves from Washington and pursue new alliances and trade paths that exclude the United States.

The United States has started a trade war "believing it will ultimately serve its interests," but will only find it straining trade relations with numerous countries, said Ghobashy.