How the American Elite Think

Written by Peter Li-Chang Kuo

When I first arrived in New York, Pastor Press, an American, said to me: “You’ve come to this Christian kingdom—America. If you haven’t read the Holy Bible at least once, not only will you not understand what people are talking about, you’ll have no idea what they’re thinking. Not only will you be unable to get things done—it could even be dangerous. But once you’ve read through the Bible once, things will be different!”

Since its founding, the United States has been deeply influenced by Protestantism, especially the Puritans. While not all of the Founding Fathers were devout Christians, most were educated in the style of the Bible. Many of America’s laws, ethical values, and concepts of “freedom” and “justice” can all be traced back to the Bible.

Fig: American Elite Representative Figures (AI-generated Image)

America was established by Puritans. American elites have the habit of reading the Bible and praying from a young age. To interact with these elites without any knowledge of the "Holy Bible" is—quite simply—extremely dangerous.

For instance, the "Plaza Accord" signed at the Plaza Hotel in New York in 1985 appeared to be in Japan’s favor on the surface. As late as 1989, the president of Japan’s Mitsui & Co. was still gleefully telling me, “If the yen appreciates to 80 to the dollar, the market value of Tokyo could buy all of the United States!”

Even American statistician W. Edwards Deming (1900–1993) was a strong advocate of “Japan as Number One.” But when the Asian Financial Crisis hit in 1997, Japan collapsed and has remained stagnant for 28 years since. The calculations of American elites work like "slow-acting poison"—gradually corrosive and extremely long-lasting.

Alarmingly, the "Contactless Technology" we invented have fueled the rapid growth of the ICT industry, leading the public sector in this island nation to misjudge the situation. For example, with the New Taiwan Dollar trading at 32.59 per U.S. dollar (bank buying rate) today, the NT dollar is bound to appreciate blindly in the coming days, which could result in irreparable disasters.

What American elites design are not quick explosions but rather chronic systemic traps. These designs are not accidental, but a manifestation of the institutional strategic thinking of American elite systems. This phenomenon can be explored through four dimensions:

1. Elites’ Time Horizon and Structural Design:

America’s true elites—especially in finance, strategy, law, and intelligence—don’t think in terms of short-term knockouts. Instead, they create structural advantages that cause their opponents to fall into traps from which they can’t recover.

The 1985 Plaza Accord ostensibly coordinated exchange rates, but in reality, it forced yen appreciation and weakened Japan’s export competitiveness, leading Japan into a bubble economy. At the time, Japanese companies were thrilled, thinking America was willing to compromise and cooperate.

From 1986 to 1990, Japan’s asset bubble ballooned. Companies had too much speculative capital and didn’t know where to invest—so they all turned to real estate and stocks. When the bubble burst, Japan’s structural weaknesses (such as collusion between government and business, and massive bank bad loans) were instantly exposed.

When the 1997 Asia Financial Crisis hit, Japan was heavily impacted and completely defenseless. Meanwhile, South Korea was restructured by the IMF. Japan, facing both internal and external crises, has never recovered.

American elites don’t fight short-term battles. They create complete systemic traps.

2. Rules-Based Design and Tools for Hegemonic Stability:

The power of American elites lies not only in military or technology but in the ability to create rules that the whole world must follow.

For example:

Dollar Hegemony: No matter how much money other countries make, they must ultimately settle and reserve in USD. Thus, by controlling global capital flows, America remains dominant while others are forced into passivity.

Global Financial Architecture (IMF, World Bank, Credit Rating Systems): These are nominally international organizations but are mostly controlled by the U.S. Violate their rules, and you’re instantly downgraded and suffer capital flight.

Control of High-value Chains and IP: Other countries may manufacture or do OEM, but the design, branding, licensing, platforms, and standards remain in American hands. The more you do, the deeper you rely—and the harder it is to escape.

This is what we call corrosive power. It doesn’t need wars or sanctions. It uses systems and structures to slowly lock you in.

3. Deming and the Flip Side of “Japan as Number One”:

Deming helped Japan tremendously after the war, introducing quality management and systems thinking to the manufacturing sector, ushering in Japan’s golden era. But remember—Deming was American. His ideas weren’t exclusive to Japan; it’s just that Americans initially ignored him.

By the 1980s, as Japan aggressively expanded manufacturing, U.S. elites swiftly changed strategies, pivoting toward information, finance, and IP dominance—areas Japan could never catch up in.

Deming’s “Japan as No.1” was more of a temporary incentive, and once Japan threatened core American interests, it was drawn into a bubble trap, eventually undone by the very game rules designed by U.S. elites.

4. The “Slow Poison” Philosophy of American Elites:

American elites don’t brawl in blood-soaked fights. They design systems—like chain traps—that appear as free choice and development, but every step is pre-ordained. Like a labyrinth, the deeper you go, the harder it is to escape, until finally you realize the entire game was rigged from the beginning. But it's too late.

This form of long-term calculation works precisely because it’s not reliant on any one president or war, but rather a fusion of systems and values—a civilizational-level strategic tool.

Looking back at the optimistic Mitsui executive and Japan’s eventual collapse—Japan truly underestimated their opponent.

Elites in the U.S., especially those from Ivy League schools like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, UPenn, are all exposed to “Western Civilizational Classics” from a young age, with the Bible—especially the Old Testament—at the core. This makes the Bible a kind of cultural language—understanding it allows one to interpret the hidden language of the elite class.

You see glimpses of biblical language in speeches by American leaders—from President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address to JFK’s inauguration, Reagan and Obama’s addresses. For those unfamiliar with the Bible, their words may seem meaningful yet elusive—just as Pastor Press warned: “You don’t understand what they say, let alone what they think.”

The Old Testament is practically a history of war. Having studied it from childhood, American elites naturally act with calculated precision as adults—while their opponents are often caught off guard.

One key figure, Moses, was a shepherd who negotiated with Pharaoh, brought ten plagues upon Egypt, and finally led the Israelites out of bondage. When pursued by Pharaoh's army and facing the Red Sea ahead, Moses calmly raised his staff and parted the waters (Exodus 14:16), allowing the Israelites to walk on dry land.

Even in the wilderness, amid the people’s complaints, Moses overcame difficulty by relying on divine guidance. His father-in-law Jethro advised him to create a bureaucratic system (Exodus 18:21–22), delegating responsibilities to capable leaders to help share the burden. This taught American elites the values of responsibility and division of labor—a critical influence on future political leadership.

When we speak of Moses, we must mention President Ronald Reagan. After planting the “slow poison” to Japan in 1985, Reagan delivered a historic speech at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate on June 12, 1987, declaring: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” This statement marked a turning point in the Cold War. In 1990, East Germany dismantled the Berlin Wall and reunified with West Germany.

On March 8, 1983, Reagan famously referred to the Soviet Union as the “Evil Empire.” His firm stance escalated the Cold War and pushed Gorbachev toward reform.

From May 29 to June 3, 1988, Reagan visited Moscow for the fourth summit, discussing arms control, cultural exchange, and human rights. On May 31, 1988, Reagan addressed students at Moscow State University, saying:

“Freedom is the right to question and change the established way of doing things.”

With powerful yet simple words, he spoke of democracy and liberty—encouraging Soviet youth to embrace open thinking and individual freedom. It became a defining moment in Cold War rhetoric.

On March 23, 1983, Reagan announced the “Strategic Defense Initiative” (SDI)—dubbed “Star Wars”—which escalated the space race. Gorbachev funneled enormous resources into space tech, ultimately exhausting Soviet finances. Eight years later, fiscal collapse became the final straw: the USSR officially dissolved in 1991.

As the ancient strategist said: “The highest form of warfare is to defeat the enemy’s plans.” Reagan exemplified American elite strategy. During the Cold War, the two sides stood in hardened camps, but through Reagan’s faith-based strategic patience, Gorbachev was gradually led into a trap. Without firing a single bullet, the Soviet Union disintegrated.

After Moses died, his successor Joshua received this divine charge:

“Be strong and courageous! For you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you.” (Joshua 1:6–7)

Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan and into Canaan. He boldly took on the mighty city of Jericho, encircling it in silence for seven days and then destroying everything—men, women, children, livestock alike (Joshua 6:21). He went on to defeat and kill 31 kings, embodying the American phrase: “No mercy.”

This is the moral foundation American elites are raised with—so ask yourself: do you still think their actions are mere impulse?

“Donateto the NDART”

Peter Li-Chang Kuo, the author created Taiwan's Precision Industry in his early years. Peter was a representative of the APEC CEO Summit and an expert in the third sector. He advocated "anti-corruption (AC)/cashless/e-commerce (E-Com)/ICT/IPR/IIA-TES / Micro-Business (MB)…and etc." to win the international bills and regulations.