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By Mihar Dias April 2025
It all began on Liberation Day — not the kind with parades and doves, but the one where Peter Navarro decided to liberate America from math, economics, and the laws of reality.
He was joined by a mysterious figure who would later become infamous in policy circles and karaoke nights: Ron Vara, a name that, if unscrambled, reveals its true purpose — to confuse, mislead, and maybe sell sketchy protein powder.
But this isn’t about Ron Vara.
Enter Mihar Dias, a man of mystery, wit, and an anadrome (that’s a reverse pseudonym, not a seafood dish). Unlike Ron Vara — who was basically Peter Navarro with a fake mustache and a LinkedIn page powered by delusion. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/us/politics/peter-navarro-ron-vara.html
Mihar used his alternate identity for good: storytelling, satire, and the occasional jab at authoritarian hairdos. Never to lie, just to entertain and hold a mirror to the madness.
The story goes something like this:
Peter Navarro was doodling trade deficits on a napkin while Ron Vara was busy Photoshopping himself into pictures with Adam Smith.
In walked Mihar Dias, sipping kopi o from a thermos labeled “Truth Serum.”
Ron Vara shouted, “Tariffs will make America great again!”
Mihar raised an eyebrow. “You’re not even a real person.”
Navarro chimed in: “He’s as real as my China strategy.”
Thus, on that fateful Liberation Day, Trump declared:
“We’re putting tariffs on everyone. China, Mexico, Canada, and anyone who refuses to name their dog Ivanka.”
Navarro grinned. Ron Vara clapped. Mihar sipped his coffee and whispered to the nearest potted plant, “This’ll be fun to write about.”
The Aftermath:
• Global Markets Went into Freefall
It was like watching someone throw spaghetti at a world map and then sanction whatever country it stuck to.
• Malaysia Got Caught in the Crossfire
A shipment of durians was held at the U.S. border under suspicion of being “strategic biological weapons.” Mihar sent a strongly worded memo — in pantun.
• Ron Vara was Unmasked
Turns out he was Peter Navarro’s imaginary friend with a fake resume and a PhD in nonsense. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/us/politics/peter-navarro-ron-vara.html
Mihar wrote an op-ed titled “Ron Vara: The Trade Guru Who Never Was but Still Had Business Cards.”
• Mihar Becomes a Folk Hero
While Navarro testified before Congress using sock puppets, Mihar Dias went on to host a wildly popular show called “Tariffs & Teh Tarik”, where he explained global trade using sambal and sarcasm.
• Trump Took Full Credit
“I created jobs. Like Ron. He’s a job. I made him. Big win.”
Moral of the Story:
While Ron Vara was out there peddling economic fan fiction and declaring war on IKEA, Mihar Dias stayed true to the cause: tell the truth, make ‘em laugh, and never start a trade war with countries that make your phone, your clothes, and your children's Lego sets.
As Mihar likes to say:
“I may write under an anadrome — but at least I'm not an anecdote in a any indictment.”
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