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War on the Rocks ·Future-gazing

Glass Jaw? The New Economic Fragility Recasting American Power

by Andy Polk

Published 2026-05-29 07:15:07+00:00

What happens to a nation’s freedom to act when its economy can no longer absorb global shocks?

0:00 / 17:59 · Narrator Charon

Context

Writing on 29 May 2026, Andy Polk examines how a pair of children’s shoes reveals the hidden fractures in American strategic power. The piece suggests that broad tariffs have stripped away the economic buffers that once allowed businesses to absorb global shocks. When the oil crisis arrived, the system had no room left to flex. This shift isn't just about rising prices at the register; it represents a new, harder ceiling on how long the United States can effectively sustain military or diplomatic pressure abroad.

Show notes

An examination of how broad tariff policies have eroded the structural resilience of the U.S. economy, reducing its capacity to absorb external shocks. A case study of the footwear industry details the mechanics of supply chain margin compression and inflationary pass-through. This loss of economic agility serves as a strategic constraint, limiting the national security options available to American policymakers in their competition with China.

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