Eagle, I don't want to form an alliance anymore.

"Who said that communism cannot cooperate with capitalism? Didn't we cooperate very well with the United States and Britain during World War II? We eased relations with the United States, and aren't we on very good terms now?"

He laughed and said, "Besides, the spoils of victory belong to everyone! I love sharing the cake!"

Director Nian smiled too. She understood the meaning behind those words—the achievements belonged to everyone, but the knife for dividing the cake had to be held by the Soviet Union.

"That's true. All we need to do is make sure that only our people can share and eat the cake."

Slava nodded, stubbed out his cigarette, and turned to lean against the balcony railing.

"As for what you said earlier about 'no precedent,' if there's no precedent—can't we just create one?"

He looked at Director Nian and said, "It doesn't matter if we fail. The sky won't fall and the earth won't collapse! The key is that we have to try."

“Look how well we match. We did finance during the oil crisis and Black Monday in the US, and we did a great job, didn’t we? They say that when capitalism was born, every pore was bleeding.”

"If we want to accelerate development, we must fight our way out of the capitalist world."

He paused for a moment: "You're going to say that to the opposition within the party!"

Director Nian nodded and returned to the reception room, with Slava following beside her as the two walked side by side toward the restaurant.

------

That noon, the Japanese representatives left the restaurant and returned to their hotel.

They closed the hotel door and discussed in hushed tones. They were discussing the Soviet Union's offer, their sincerity, and everything that had happened at the dinner earlier—the General Secretary's promise, the cadre who suddenly caused an uproar, the bank cooperation that had been sidelined, and the question that hung in the air, one that neither of them could answer: was it capitalist or socialist?

This is a question that the Soviet Union had to answer not only to its own people, but also to the free world.

The Soviet people would ask: Are you, Ivanov, going to lead the Soviet Union down the path of capitalism?

Americans might ask: Is Japan going to lead its conglomerates down an unthinkable path to communism?

They all need to come up with a plausible explanation.

Chapter 100 Japan's Ambition to Possess Nuclear Weapons

Wayne Michal woke up one September morning to find he hadn't fallen below the kill line yet.

Congratulations! Congratulations!

His father lived through the Great Depression of 1929. Even the New Deal and the global economic boom after World War II failed to bring these "late-rich" people to the middle class level. The Rust Belt had long since begun to gradually deindustrialize.

The recession in the United States from 1979 to 1982 halved the manufacturing sector, and the national unemployment rate soared to 10.8%. By the fall of 1987, although the national unemployment rate had fallen back to around 6%, the structural wounds of the Rust Belt were far from healed.

Good union jobs have disappeared in large numbers. Those who remain either cling to a precarious manufacturing job, have been downgraded to work in the service industry, are living on various forms of welfare, or have long since moved to a more legitimate sector.

"Ugh..."

He thought of his father, who in 1929 had nothing at the federal level—no unemployment insurance, no social security, no food stamps, no Medicaid. Things were so much better now.

Even if another Great Depression occurs, the rednecks in the Rust Belt who lose their jobs can survive on food stamps, unemployment benefits, and social security, instead of dying in the streets.

But he still couldn't find balance. Back then, his father was a tenant farmer who had nothing but no debts. In 1987, he was burdened with a mortgage, a car loan, and a revolving credit card.

Once his income stopped, debt relief immediately became a noose – his house was going to be foreclosed next month.

He thought he owned the house, but the bank actually owned it; he thought he was very rich, but in reality, most of his wealth came from stocks and leverage.

Now everything is ruined.

Even a minor accident, an illness, or a car crash can wipe him out in this society. He's in his forties, only has one skill, is burdened with mortgage and car loan payments, and his factory has been permanently shut down instead of temporarily ceasing operations... He has no hope left.

"Bang!" He slammed the alarm clock against the wall, the broken glass shards shattering the poster on the wall that featured the Stars and Stripes and a Saturn rocket.

He sat up, feeling a sharp pain in his back. For a forty-three-year-old to have back pain like this meant he'd probably be on painkillers for the rest of his life—the price he paid for nineteen years working at the Borilvar steelworks.

His wife left with the child, saying she was taking the child to stay with her mother for a few days, but she never came back.

He called later. His mother-in-law answered and said she didn't want to talk to him. He asked why. His mother-in-law said:

"You can't even support yourself, how are you going to support her and the child?"

He hung up the phone and never called again.

Wayne put on his coat and went out.

...

He lives in Youngstown, Ohio.

Youngstown was once the steel capital of the Rust Belt, the heart of American industry. When Wayne was a child, every house on this street was inhabited by people who worked in steel mills. Fathers were steelworkers, sons were steelworkers, and grandsons were steelworkers.

Smoke billowed from the factory chimneys, and the taverns on the street were packed with men who came to have a drink after get off work. They were all loud and laughing, with work in their hands and money in their pockets.

Now those chimneys are no longer emitting smoke.

First came the wave of layoffs in the early 1980s—the steel industry was failing, and one company after another closed down. Then came last year's Great Depression—banks collapsed, the stock market crashed, and the whole country seemed to have had its spine removed.

The Borilvar steel plant first reduced production, then stopped production, and finally closed down after issuing layoff notices.

He walked along the street, where there were more things he didn't want to see.

"Down with capitalism!" "No government, no bosses!"

A group of young people dressed in black were marching, carrying black flags with a large A inside a circle on them. They were chanting slogans like "Down with the state!" and "Down with capitalism!"—a bunch of anarchists.

"Pah!" Wayne spat at the group of people.

In his view, these people were the dumbest bunch of idiots. No government? No boss? Then who's in charge? Who pays their salaries?

These people only know how to smash things, cause trouble, and make the country even worse. And then what? Nothing. They don't build anything; they only destroy!

Wayne Michalco didn't believe in many things in his life, but he believed in American values.

The United States is the greatest country in the world. It believes in the free market, that hard work leads to a good life, and that communism is evil and will inevitably be destroyed by God. Every damned communist should go to hell!

From childhood to adulthood, this has been talked about on television, in newspapers, by teachers, and by pastors. The Soviet Union was an evil empire! Communists ate children! The free world will prevail!

He was convinced of it.

But now he's unemployed, his factory is closed, his wife has run away, and none of the things he believed in have helped him save his life.

The group of anarchists on the street were still shouting. Wayne turned up his collar, lowered his head, and walked past.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is hiring!

Suddenly, he noticed a new sign at the entrance of the former Bolívar Steel Plant. The old sign had been removed, and the new one was written in Japanese! The factory he worked for had been bought by the Japanese!

He knew about it; it was all over the TV and newspapers these days. They were saying the Japanese were buying up America, that Japanese conglomerates were taking advantage of the Great Depression to swoop in like vultures, swallowing up American companies and landmarks one by one!

Rockefeller Center was bought by the Japanese, Columbia Pictures was bought by the Japanese. Hollywood studios, New York skyscrapers, California golf courses... one after another, American landmarks have been renamed with Japanese names!

Americans receiving relief lined up while watching helplessly as the Japanese took away one of their nation's proudest possessions, one by one.

Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans chose to remain silent. Democrat Dick Gephart and Republican Donald Trump both stirred up anti-Japanese sentiment for votes. Many people on the streets posted leaflets boycotting Japanese goods; some put up bumper stickers on their cars reading "Buy American, Save American Jobs!"; some carved graffiti on Japanese cars; and some threw stones at people driving Toyotas and Hondas.

Wayne stared at the Mitsubishi sign and the American flag in the trash can, his anger making his temples throb.

He turned and left, kicking a small stone at the foot of his foot towards the sign as he went.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

He went to a tavern that night.

The tavern was packed with people, mostly like him—unemployed, laid off, struggling to make ends meet... These people gathered together to vent their frustrations and drink heavily with each other.

People are cursing Washington—because Reagan, that pig, dragged America into hell;

People criticize Wall Street because the rich feast while the poor freeze to death on the streets. Even during the Great Depression, the lives of those big capitalists are not affected; they still enjoy red wine, steak, and bridge.

People criticize the Soviet Union because communism is the root of all evil, the source of all laws in the universe. If the Soviet Union had obediently surrendered and embraced the free world, the lives of Americans would definitely have been better.

People are criticizing the Japanese—it's the Japanese conglomerates that bought everything. Trump said that the land value in Tokyo could buy the entire United States. Where did the Japanese get the money? They must have stolen the fruits of the labor of the hardworking and honest American people.

Swear everything you can swear, endure everything you can endure.

Because those who led the charge before have already been killed by the iron fist of capitalism. Decades ago, MacArthur drove tanks to crush veterans, and now Reagan has sent troops to suppress the people gathering in Washington Square.

Don't be fooled by the current commotion on the streets; the radicals who actually want to wage armed struggle have long been arrested and imprisoned by the FBI.

So they can only numb themselves with alcohol.

The television was mounted on the wall of the pub, and it was playing loudly; the pub owner was broadcasting election news.

Now is the final moment of the election, a crucial time for the nation to vote, and Democratic candidate Dick Gephart is yelling on CNN, venting the emotions of his viewers.

He said, "Japan stole American jobs! Japan stole American technology! Japan stole American money! It's time—it's time for them to return these things!"

"Good! Long live freedom!" "American values!" someone cheered in the pub.

Then the television switched to the Republican side. George H.W. Bush was much more polite than Gepphardt, talking about alliances and the Western world order. He also criticized Japan, but subtly; he was more concerned with maintaining that framework with allies.

Logically speaking, relatively moderate figures like George H.W. Bush were the biggest threat to the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was not afraid of a tough stance from the Americans. Now that the Soviet Union's strength had been gradually restored, it was not afraid of a direct confrontation with the Americans!

However, the Soviet Union feared that the United States would use its ingenuity to liberate its thinking, so it pursued appeasement towards the Soviet Union while strengthening NATO unity and using its large economic size to wage a war of attrition against the Soviet Union around the world.

The Soviet Union is now recovering from a serious illness, having just crawled out of its coffin, and it really can't outlast the United States in the short term.

However, with populism, anti-establishment sentiment, separatism, and extreme political forces running rampant, it is wishful thinking to expect the American people to remain rational forever.

In order to respond to public opinion and win votes, politicians must also transform themselves into the image that voters want!

There is no turning back on the road to hell!

Sure enough, nobody in the pub paid any attention to Bush. His words had no audience among a group of unemployed workers who had just lost their jobs and were chugging cheap beer.

Then the scene cuts to the appearance of Donald Trump, a young and promising Republican!

"Let's welcome our ace (Trump) to his loyal Denver!" the host roared at the top of his lungs, as the crowd in the stands waved Stars and Stripes and images of Trump with fervor. The cameras panned across the stands, revealing a line of people stretching from the front of the stadium all the way to the doors, with more people still waiting outside.

Amidst fireworks and deafening music, a blond young man stepped onto the stage.

In the past six months, the whole of America has come to know him. He started as a businessman who emerged from the Republican Party, a real estate developer in New York. At first, everyone thought he was a joke, until this joke started filling stadiums state by state.

Good morning, great citizens of America!

Trump was already on stage, and it looked like he'd been speaking for a while. Without a prepared speech or teleprompter, he walked around the stage with a microphone in one hand. While Democrat Dick Gephart liked to use blue banners with white lettering to express his core ideas, Trump only needed a giant American flag, constantly being blown around by two wind machines.

There was a folding table next to the stage, on which sat a Toshiba radio, which was illuminated by a spotlight and looked like an exhibit.

"The fire department told me, sir, there are still nine thousand people outside who can't get in, nine thousand!" He waved his hand in the air. "When you read the newspapers tomorrow, they'll write that hundreds of people attended the rally, yes, hundreds."

He pointed to the back of the venue: "Those are the people. Quickly turn the camera around! Turn it around and film these people!"

The camera didn't move, but there was a chorus of boos from below; they weren't booing him.

Someone in the tavern chuckled.

"I didn't want to do this, I'm serious. I was doing very well, really well."

"Buildings, airplanes, you've all seen them in magazines—by the way, those magazines never get anything wrong about me, but they never understate how rich I am."

A burst of laughter came from below, and Wayne couldn't hold back either.

In other countries, politicians would never dare to flaunt their wealth during a speech during a Great Depression, as it would provoke public resentment.

But it's different in the United States. On the one hand, it may be Trump's amazing personal charisma, and on the other hand, it may be that the American people have been educated by capitalism so well that while poor people in other countries genuinely believe they are poor, these rednecks in the United States who believe in the American Dream may genuinely believe that they are just millionaires who haven't become rich yet!

What's that saying? Fake it before you make it. Pretend you've succeeded before you actually succeed.

“This is the real leader of the Americans!” someone in the pub said.

This young man doesn't talk like a Cold War-era politician; he talks like one of those guys in a pub who's always bragging, but you just want to listen to him.

“But I ran into someone at the factory gate before I came here today.” Trump suddenly stopped. “Bill! Where’s Bill? Bill, stand up.”

The camera panned a few times and found a big guy in the front row wearing a plaid shirt. He raised his hand halfway up, while holding a hat in his other hand.

"Look at this guy. Big, strong as an ox, a guy like him could have thrown me ten meters away when he was young!" Trump waited for the laughter to subside. "He worked in that factory for nineteen years, nineteen years! His father worked there, his grandfather worked there. This afternoon when he told me all this, this big man had tears welling up in his eyes."

The tavern became a little quieter.

“He received a letter last month from the human resources department.”

Trump pulled a piece of paper from his inside suit pocket, unfolded it, and held it up by one corner as if he were holding something dirty: "I had Bill give me the letter, and I'll read it to you."

He cleared his throat and read in a high-pitched voice, "'Thank you for your valuable contributions to the company over the years—'"

His tone was exactly like that of a white-collar office worker, and the audience burst into laughter.

Trump put the letter down.

"Nineteen years of hard work for a single letter!" He folded the paper and put it back in his inner pocket. "I've been in business my whole life. I've fired people, to be honest, quite a few—"

Another burst of laughter erupted from below.

"—But I have never! Not even once! Let someone who has worked for me for nineteen years find out about this through my email. Where has our American Dream gone? We Americans are hardworking, diligent, and intelligent. Are we really going to listen to those Wall Street gentlemen saying, 'You're poor because you lack understanding, you deserve it'?"