Transcription
Let me tell you something most Americans have not been told clearly. If there were ever a master strategist in modern American statecraft, it had to be President Donald Trump and his administration. Because for them, the central strategic question was always China.
When you step back and study the pattern of their actions, pressures, and positioning, a very clear logic appears. They understood something fundamental. For the next 100 years of American global leadership, China is the only true challenger. And so their strategy focused on the greatest vulnerability of any industrial superpower, energy.
First, Venezuela. By isolating and constraining Venezuelan oil flows, Washington disrupted a major external energy channel that China had spent years cultivating. With now Venezuelan being more American aligned, Venezuelan oil shipments are firmly under American control.
Then, Iran. On the surface, US pressure and strikes on Iran appear nuclear related, but strategically, it is energy leverage. Because China imports over 10 million barrels of oil per day, and China is the primary buyer of Iran's seaborn oil exports. And nearly 1/5 of global oil supply moves through a single narrow choke point, the Strait of Hormuz, now directly threatened by conflict. And in geopolitics, geography is destiny. Influence over Iran means influence over Hormuz.
Now look at the strategic picture Americans rarely see. Venezuelan supply controlled, Iranian supply controlled, Middle Eastern flow monitored and controlled by overwhelming United States military and naval power. Now imagine China's position if its major external energy lifelines fall under American strategic leverage. Factories feel it. Heavy industry feels it. AI infrastructure feels it. This is pressure without direct war. For Washington, a US aligned or weakened Iran tightens energy leverage on Beijing without confronting China directly. And history teaches a simple rule. When you control your challenger's supply lines, the duration of their challenge shrinks dramatically. With relatively few moves, this strategy aimed to extend American dominance for generations. One day, historians may write that this was one of the most consequential grand strategies of the 21st century.
I've created a free guide called the 21 Habits of the Quietly Wealthy People. You can find it in the link in my bio or comment dynasty below and I shall send it to you personally.