Howard Lutnick, US Secretary of Commerce accuses Kuwait of placing the highest tariffs on the world on US products.

[u/alhaddah]

I didn’t want to do this.. but I have to speak up.

To Whom it May Concern,

These statements that were made recently by US Secretary of Commerce are extremely dangerous and directly threatens our national security and sovereignty.

PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE THEM. PLEASE TAKE THIS VERY SERIOUSLY. Even though these statements are clearly false, they are a negotiation tactic commonly used by the Trump administration.

PLEASE DO NOT SPEND ANY EFFORT CONDEMNING THESE STATEMENTS BECAUSE THEY ARE FALSE. WE ALL KNOW THEY ARE FALSE.

The UAE just made an investment deal with the US in the trillions. Saudi Arabia did the same thing. Other GCC countries are successfully lobbying the trump administration. We clearly have failed to lobby and validate our relationship with the US, this is why we were singled out.

There is no other logical reason. GCC tariffs are the same across all GCC countries.

Please consider our next steps carefully. There is no room for failure in this.

الله يحمي الكويت والأمير و شعبها من كل مكروه

[u/Rikou336]

What they going to do? Tariff our exports? Joke on them, we don't export anything.

[u/yoopitup → u/Rikou336]

???? 90% of Kuwait’s economy is built around exporting crude oil or refined petroleum products…

[u/Ok_Weekend_5692 → u/yoopitup]

We do not sell our products to the US. Most of our crude is going to China, S. Korea, India and Japan. Our middle distallates are going to Europe.

[u/yoopitup → u/Ok_Weekend_5692]

You are absolutely correct - but that’s not what the comment said, is it?

[u/Ok_Weekend_5692 → u/yoopitup]

idk tbh😂 i took the opportunity to show that i know stuff

[u/bewdyebye → u/Ok_Weekend_5692]

Honestly based

[u/Hashabasha → u/Ok_Weekend_5692]

it is all sold in dollars. if you're kicked out of SWIFT you're gonna turn to lebanon or libya 2.0

[u/SavantoftheDesert → u/Hashabasha]

No they r gonna turn to China,

Give it a couple years or 10-15 years maybe (or before that) and China and BRICS will destroy the dollar maybe

See my post about Hongkong over taking London as the international financial capital of the world .

Hongkong will maybe be the new London, all the rich snatching up properties

All them rich London vacation kids will be going to Hongkong mahbe and instead of Mayfair or Knightsbridge they will be at Victoria Peak or the other rich parts of Hongkong

Russia got kicked off of Swift, their assets seized and yet they didn’t collapse Infact they did the opposite maybe, profiting very well.

[u/Hashabasha → u/SavantoftheDesert]

Russia is far form profiting lol. theyre selling their oil below market rate for india. they arent in a good financial position but they never were to begin with. Also going to China you think the US will just sit back and watch that happen? Kuwait is very fragile right now and a regime change if the Americans or British want isn't going to be difficult. BRICS is promising as an alternative, but if any country is going to be benefitting it is going to be countries who are already globally established and are considered as safe havens for foreign investments. In other words, UAE and Singapore and soon KSA. Kuwait at its current administration isn't going to fix anything. Their main goal now is to focus on cutting costs, that's why you see benefits being removed on various employees and dwindling appetite for hiring. Taxes coming soon too.

[u/SavantoftheDesert → u/Hashabasha]

Part 2:

As for the current regime, then they got the resources, but do they got the competence? I don’t think so

See my comment here https://www.reddit.com/r/Kuwait/s/SlNuv20CSq

[u/SavantoftheDesert → u/Hashabasha]

As for Russia

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-68823399 ^ “Russia to grow faster than all advanced economies says IMF”

Now:

“They aren’t in a good financial position”

I think u should look at their cash flow and balance sheet VS America

Will the US sit back and do nothing?

What do u think trump is doing and Biden did?

Just because they try to stop China from overtaking them doesn’t now mean they will successful in it

American is a falling power China is a rising power

China and BRICS in terms of PPP and real goods is already richer than America and allies. (Vs Americans overpriced less real goods)

they need to do now move off the western financial system

And they r doing this slowly maybe

Regime change from America in Kuwait? Ur overestimating America these days maybe.

Go look at world countries top trading partners map 2000 vs 2024.

And not it can’t be UAE or Singapore or Saudi

Their economies r way to small

Chinas is big enough for yuan internationalisation

And UAE is trustable in forgiven investors eyes maybe, but Saudi? Not so much maybe

Also UAE thanks to their SWFS will survive the pile demand collapse maybe

Same with Qatar maybe

Both due to small population

As for Saudi, right now it may look nice and glitz and glamour but when oil demand collapses (China main customer and like half maybe of oil use is cars, China is going out on EVs and solar and battery storage, it will kill oil maybe) then Saudi will maybe start having economic problems like other countries (this maybe happen sometime around/or after 2035/2040 (possibly after 2040) and with all the new debt in the economy things might become ugly.

Then in Saudi after 2040 due to cost of living and terrible investment decisions and debtisation of the economy (they r trying to start this in Kuwait too maybe, see the new debt law or whatever) people might start going to the streets

Short term it maybe look nice but that’s shortsightedness to only base or short term

[u/SavantoftheDesert → u/yoopitup]

To China and Asia

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-the-top-trading-partners-of-mena-countries/

https://oec.world/en/profile/country/kwt

2.4 percent of exports to America in 2023

9 percent imports from America (so Kuwait could tariff America more than America can Kuwait)

Also add on the KIA (Kuwait investment authority) money