Stilettos & Supply Chains: Walking Away from the West

Hi all,

Today’s blog will be inspired by my favorite character, Carrie Bradshaw, from the famous 2000’s TV show, Sex in the City, to make up for my break from writing. Besides that, enjoy the rest of my blog!

I couldn’t help but wonder… In a world where borders define us and business binds us, could ten countries become one powerful economic force without the help of the biggest, most well-known economic country—the United States? The United States is known for being where all the business is. Anyone who wants to start a business in today’s world can start in China, Singapore, Dubai, etc., but they don’t. Everyone wants to start a business in the United States because they have the “best talent, best access to capital, and the best attitude. [America] has winners” (a billionaire interviewed by the School of Hard Knocks). All in all, it’s THE place for its fashionable goods, food, and quite literally everything.

But what happens when the world's so-called biggest “winners” start playing hard to get? When tariffs go up, borders tighten, and trade becomes a game of tug-of-war? Suddenly, the dream of doing business in the U.S. isn’t looking too good. The runway to success is crowded with red tape, and companies start to ask the question: What if we looked elsewhere?  And that’s when the creation of ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) slipped on its stilettos and stepped into the spotlight.

Ten countries — each wildly different, each with its own culture, currency, and cuisine — decided they didn’t need the U.S. to be ambitious or successful. If President Trump wanted to play tough, they could play tough too — not with tanks or tantrums, but with the ultimate girl move: a silent, reciprocal tariff that said ‘Oh, you wanna play.’ Together, they all had something else: unity. Something the U.S. seems to lack for the next 4 years, with their people fighting more and more every day about the liberal left or the conservative right. News flash, people are upset with the price hikes, the mass deportation, significant financial education cuts, etc.

And while America argued at the dinner table about who gets to carve the political turkey, ASEAN got to work setting their own table — with rice, chili, and a side of resilience. Instead of chasing a love affair with a superpower that kept ghosting them with tariffs and tantrums, they started swiping right on each other. Thailand leaned on Vietnam. Malaysia made eyes at Indonesia. And Singapore — as always — brought the WiFi and the wine. Together, they began building a world where trade didn't have to come with strings attached. Where investment wasn't dependent on the mood swings of Washington, they didn’t just shift away from the U.S. — they pivoted toward each other.

They signed pacts (RCEP, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), ramped up in diversification in the supply chain, and whispered sweet nothings to global manufacturers who were tired of the “will-they-won’t-they” drama with China and the U.S. The result? A steady stream of new factories, new investments, and yes — even new love letters from companies like Apple and Tesla asking, “Are you… free to talk?”

It was as if ASEAN realized what so many of us do after a breakup: You don’t need someone who makes everything about them. You need someone — or in this case, nine someones — who are ready to build something real, long-term, and drama-free. So I couldn’t help but wonder… Maybe Southeast Asia didn’t just walk away from the United States. Maybe — stilettos clicking, borders opening — they were walking toward the future.