Kuala Lampur, April 15 -- Trump's misleadingly named "reciprocal tariffs" have elicited many reactions focused on the tariff's economic impacts and the absurdity of the tariff calculations. The sweeping tariffs defy economic rationality, calculated as the crude ratio of a given country's trade balance with the United States (US) over its total exports (and only applied to trade in goods). Amid the chaos and disorder, there is a sense of urgency that a small trading nation like Malaysia must come up with quick responses, although the call to stay calm and not retaliate is indeed the correct one (Yin 2025).

However, it is also important to step back from Trump's capriciousness and look at more systemic issues in coming up with measured res...