IN recent days, erratic economic moves made by United States President Donald Trump have left global markets reeling.

The sudden imposition, withdrawal, and re-imposition of massive tariffs up to 125 per cent on Chinese goods sent shockwaves across the world. Within 10 minutes of the announcement of the 90day pause on tariffs, the US stock market added nearly $4 trillion in value during a volatile rebound, proving how unpre dictability now defines global financial trends.

For Pakistan, these developments are more than distant drama; they are signals.

As countries scramble to renegotiate trade terms on Trump`s conditions, it is clearthathis approachisless about structured diplomacy and more about personal power play.

Dubbed by some as the art of dealmaking, this negotiation style is aggressive, impulsive and often disrespectful.

Trump recently boasted that world leaders were lining up to renegotiate deals.

The exact phrase the US leader used in this context, as quoted by the CNN, is difficult to reproduce here, but it is indicative of a deeply troubling mindset for someone leading the world`s most powerful nation.

This pattern of behaviour is not random.

In her bestselling book Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World`s Most Dangerous Man, Dr Mar y L. Trump a clinical psychologist and Donald Trump`s niece describes a man shaped by a dysfunctional upbringing, driven by narcissism, insecurity, neglect, abuse and a need to dominate.

These psychological insights offer valuable context for understanding the unpredictability and volatility of Trump`s leadership, especially when crafting foreign policy responses.

Pakistan must tread carefully. The global sequence unfolding trade wars leading to currency devaluations, and potentially escalating into real conflicts is not just theory; it is a historic pattern.

Multinational corporations, including the likes of Amazon and Walmart, are already adjusting supply chains away from China. What may have curbed Trump`s aggression is not diplomacy, but theresponse from the bond markets. The rapid rise in yields in the US bond market likely signalled economic alarm bells that forced a momentary retreat.

As James Carville, a strategist for former president Bill Clinton, once said: `I used to think that if there was reincarnation, I wanted to come back as the President or the Pope. But now I want to come back as the bond market. You can intimidate everybody.

The policymakers in Pakistan`s must wake up to the reality. In today`s fragile economic climate, a single misstep in handling America`s volatile leadership could well have severe consequences. The country todayneeds strategicpatience, diplomatic acumen and economic resilience.

And we need them more than we ever did.

Adil Hamf London, UK