As discussions intensify over US President Donald Trump's trade policy, an almost 100-year-old political cartoon predicting the fall of Western imperialism and the emergence of China, India, and Africa as global powers, marking a shift away from US, British, and French dominance, has resurfaced and gone viral on social media.
Bob Minor's 1925 cartoon
The illustration was created in 1925 by American cartoonist Bob Minor, originally published on the cover of the socialist daily Daily Worker. An American political cartoon portrays towering figures of China, India, and Africa overshadowing much smaller representations of the US, French, and British imperialism. In the background, a Soviet soldier grins, symbolising the communist perspective supporting the overthrow of Western imperial dominance.
The illustration carried fresh resonance when republished in 2024 with the caption: "Almost 100 years ago, famous US cartoonist Bob Minor had a realisation: Western nations ruled the world because they were rich in money and guns. China, India, and Africa were poor in money and guns but rich in people. One day, the balance of power would shift. Minor drew this cartoon in 1925. Now, 99 years later, the people of the world are waking up and realising something has changed."
Trump's tariffs
It is pertinent to mention that Trump has announced tariff rates for nearly 70 nations. The tariffs in the list ranged from 10 per cent to 40 per cent, with Japan being charged 15 per cent, Laos and Myanmar (40 per cent each), Pakistan (19 per cent), Sri Lanka (20 per cent), and the United Kingdom (10 per cent). In addition to the 25 per cent tariff announced earlier, Trump, last week, imposed another 25 per cent levies on India for its purchases of Russian oil, bringing the total duties slapped on India to 50 per cent, among the highest imposed by the US on any country in the world.
Meanwhile, Trump has also issued a stark warning, stating that the country could face a 1929-style "Great Depression" if a federal court rules against his administration's tariff policies. The warning comes as the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit prepares to deliver its verdict on a high-stakes case involving businesses and states that allege they have been harmed by the tariffs imposed during Trump's presidency.
Taking to his social media platform TRUTH Social, Trump made a lengthy post defending the tariffs, claiming they have had a "huge positive impact" on the US economy. He claimed that the economic strategy had helped the country reach "new records almost every day" during his tenure. Trump expressed serious concern that if what he called a "Radical Left Court" overturns the tariffs, the consequences would be economically catastrophic and the nation might "never recover."
Also Read: 'India remains a strategic partner, engaging in frank dialogue': US State Department amid tariff row
Also Read: Donald Trump rules out trade talks with India amid tariff row: 'Not until we get it resolved'
