Al Jazeera: Supreme Court Ruling Puts Countries That Signed Tariff Deals with Trump in a Bind

A US Supreme Court ruling has added fresh uncertainty for countries that struck tariff deals under Trump’s emergency authorities. In a recent interview with Al Jazeera English, APAC Advisors CEO Steven Okun unpacked what this means for countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, now caught between legacy tariff commitments and a shifting legal landscape in Washington.

With Trump’s emergency tariff powers curtailed and new tariffs time-limited, leverage dynamics have changed — but not necessarily in a way that invites immediate renegotiation. The strategic advice for now: patience. Pushing too hard risks triggering new trade action, while doing nothing carries domestic political costs as critics question the value of past concessions.

The result is a complex balancing act for governments navigating US trade policy amid legal, political, and electoral constraints — and a reminder that tariff risk remains deeply political, not just economic.