I’m not sure why the Korea War didn’t do it. Or the Vietnam War. Or the Balkans War. Or the Afghanistan War. Or the Iraq War. Or the Ukraine War. Or….
All those military defeats – over all those decades. And yet we kept up the Kevin Bacon “Animal House” routine:
“Thank you, Sir – may I have another.”
And yet somehow, we tenuously maintained the US Empire’s domination of the planet.
And yet somehow, We the People still thought of ourselves as winning.
Which was always a hard sell – at least to me. We’re $39+ trillion in debt. Social Security and Medicare are a combined $175 trillion short. I’m not sure how anyone can consider that “winning.”
Perhaps it is just wishful thinking on my part? But it appears the Iran War debacle may be a tipping point towards reality.
The hapless loss we are currently suffering there – accompanied by the skyrocketing prices of everything it will impose for years here? Is delivering the reality message in a way nothing before it seems to have done.
And that message is: The US can’t run the planet anymore.
If we ever really could. Our obnoxious covert government actions delivered some “victories” over the decades – that our overt military actions mostly could not.
But most of those covert “wins?” Ended up making things worse for US. And CERTAINLY for the rest of planet.
And the rest of the planet has remembered. Which is why they have LONG been champing at the bit to end the US’s imposed domination.
I’m sensing the planet sees our being stuck in the muck in Iran as that opportunity. And they are beginning to more rapidly unwind the US’s impositions.
To wit: The US dollar.
The US went off the gold standard for its dollar in 1971.
To paper over that fact (SWIDT?), the US has since imposed its dollar upon the planet as the default currency.
Default currency status has meant everyone has to have dollars. Because they have to buy on the global market with dollars. Most famously for petroleum purchases (the “petrodollar”).
We have spent the subsequent decades eviscerating the dollar’s value. No longer having to tether the dollar to gold’s reality? We have printed many additional trillions. Inflation, anyone?
The only thing that has propped up our drooping posteriors? Was our forcing everyone else to pretend our fake money was real.
You’ve heard of the fairy tale “The Emperor’s New Clothes?” This is the Emperor’s New Currency.
Well that fantasy can only last so long. Everyone pretends the dollar has value – until someone acknowledges it doesn’t.
And the world has been gearing up to finally, fully point out the US dollar is naked.
The HUGE final step of actually declaring dead the dollar’s default status hasn’t yet happened. But LOTS of steps in that direction have.
China–Russia Trade in Non‑US Dollar Currencies:
“China and Russia have made near‑full de‑dollarization of their bilateral trade, with over 99% of transactions now settled in rubles and yuan.”
Exploring India’s Central Bank Quest for De-Dollarization
Countries Cutting Trade Deals Without the US Dollar:
“A growing number of nations are reducing or replacing the US dollar in international trade, a process known as de-dollarization.
“While no country has fully abandoned the dollar, many are shifting toward local currencies, gold, or other assets in bilateral and multilateral transactions.
“Major Players in De-Dollarization:
“1. BRICS and Oil Exporters
- China: Now accounts for 47% of global yuan transactions; has signed trade deals with over 40 countries in yuan.
- Russia: Reduced USD holdings, uses ruble and yuan, and created the SPFS payment system to bypass SWIFT.
- Brazil: Trades with China in yuan and real; opened a yuan clearing bank.
- India: Advocates rupee use in trade with Sri Lanka and UAE; has special rupee accounts for 20 countries.
- Nigeria: Joined BRICS and is exploring local currency trade.
- Algeria: Shifting to yuan and ruble.
- Egypt, South Africa, Ghana, Iran, Zimbabwe, Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, UAE: All have moved toward local currencies or alternative payment systems in trade.
“2. Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Nations
- Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Russia: These 11 countries have agreed to stop using the US dollar in foreign trade….
- Over 85% of CIS trade is now in local currencies, aiming to reduce sanctions exposure and strengthen financial sovereignty.
“3. Other Notable Cases
- Ghana: Pays oil imports in gold.
- Zimbabwe: Introduced a gold-backed ZiG digital currency.
- Saudi Arabia: Accepts yuan for oil sales to China.
- UAE: Uses non-dollar currencies in trade with China and India.”
And as the fake US dollar wanes? The rest of the planet is getting real.
“Central banks’ purchases and repatriation of gold are on the rise, and both should be viewed as a symptom of deglobalization.”
Central Bank Gold Buying and the Decline of the Dollar:
“Central banks around the world have been adding gold to their reserves at a pace not seen in decades. That trend has picked up sharply over the past couple of years, as geopolitical tension, volatile markets and growing uncertainty around digital assets have all contributed to gold’s return as the reserve asset of choice.
“In 2026, this shift has become hard to ignore, as policymakers contend with persistent inflation, elevated interest rates and ongoing geopolitical fragmentation, from Ukraine to the Middle East, reshaping how nations think about financial security.”
More and more, the rest of the planet views “financial security?”
As getting as far removed as possible from the US – and its dollar.
Wouldn’t it be great if the US took the hint?
And started to mind its own business?
And attend to its imploding homeland?