By MARY UYEMATSU KAO
I am writing this on May the Fourth Be With You. And as the saying goes, “May the Force be with you” — I can’t think of a better time to be repeating this mantra morning, noon, and night.
On a more grounded note, I will take a stab at giving broad outlines of where we are currently in the present madness. And as Pepe Escobar, Brazilian-born geopolitical journalist, has said: “The inflection point is now.” As the world turns, it is turning from U.S. world dominance to a multi-polar world.
I credit many views in this article to Brian Berletic — journalist, international security analyst, and former U.S. Marine — from a recent Glenn Diesen podcast titled: “Brian Berletic: U.S. Is Grooming Europe for War with Russia” (April 29, 2026). Berletic gives a clear look beyond the Trump gyrations and alleged assassination attempts. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef0sHx33C-g&t=1085s)
The scenario is something we saw onscreen in the past with “Road Warrior,” where the onslaught of the fiercest over gasoline was a gruesome premonition of today’s current world wars. As the global economy has given rise to the petroyuan, an alternative to the U.S. petrodollar, China’s economic dominance is giving U.S. imperialism a literal run for its money.
Trump has burned through over $2 trillion since his second term started less than a year and a half ago. Thanks to the [inefficient] mega-priced U.S. military/industrial complex, the cost of war is driving up the national debt to almost $40 trillion. Everybody in the world is feeling it at the gas pump, with most places much worse than the U.S.
While it is being called a War of Choice — Trump’s Choice, that is — because Iran did nothing to start the war with the U.S., it is funny to know that a common reaction to the latest assassination attempt on Trump is — it was staged, just like the other two! And then one has to think, what is he trying to distract us from? We know one of them is the Epstein files. Some think he got played by Mossad (Zionist intelligence agency) intel that Iran would topple in the breeze.
But let’s back up a bit. Back in 2014, the U.S. created a pro-U.S. government in Ukraine via “a color revolution,” setting up provocation for the Russians to attack Ukraine. Europe was dependent on Russian natural gas for 50 years. Then the Nord Stream Pipeline was “mysteriously” blown up, cutting Germany’s supply of natural gas from Russia. They are now buying LNG (liquified natural gas) from the U.S. As Berletic analyzes, the U.S. proxy war in Ukraine was aimed at decoupling Europe from Russia.
The EU’s cooperative relationship with China is also under fire from the U.S. China produces 60% of the world’s high-quality, low-priced EVs (electric vehicles). EV sales to the EU had significant impact on EU’s trade deficit with China, which neared $360 billion in 2025.
China’s presence on the world economic stage is being felt through the Belt and Road Initiative and BRICS, and the 2018 appearance of the petroyuan, which is causing the U.S. economic house-of-cards to tremble.
Is the war with Iran really a proxy war with China, since China buys 90% of Iran’s oil exports? China’s imports of Iranian oil are a major lifeline for Iran, but China’s dependence is moderate due to its overall diversified energy supply.
Less press is being given to the U.S. bombing the hell out of the railway that is being built as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. This vital land route would make possible the transport of goods via rail to Europe through Iran. And China’s advances in high-speed rail have reached global superiority. China would have alternative means of transport should the U.S. Navy cut off its maritime trade routes.
Berletic has also noted that the U.S. has long known that Iran would shut down the Strait of Hormuz to resist U.S. attacks. So it was no surprise when Iran did this, and with the prolonged war, the U.S. has created new markets in East Asia to buy U.S. oil and LNG.
It is estimated that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz will reap massive windfall profits potentially exceeding $100 to $170 billion in LNG in a year. The East Asian market LNG prices have risen 51%, while U.S. LNG tankers to Europe have doubled their profits.
Meanwhile, we suffer all the rising costs from food and gas to you name it, due to “our” national debt. And the world is now at risk of coming famines because farmers around the world can’t get the necessary fertilizer to grow their crops.
Iran, for all of its problems, perceived or otherwise, is standing strong to the bullying of the U.S. and its lapdog, Zionist Israel. It is a beacon for the rest of the developing world that integrity, national sovereignty, and the right to exist as it always has as one of the world’s oldest civilizations, is showing the world that evil will not prevail.
U.S. imperialism, with all of its false flag/PSYOPS (psychological operations), is still just a paper tiger and will fail in its bullying weaker nations. There’s a new game in town — one that U.S. government leaders, the Epstein Billionaire 0.01% Club cannot see for the writing on the wall.
Author’s note: The facts presented in this article were found through Google AI Overview.
Mary Uyematsu Kao is the author/photographer of “Rockin’ the Boat: Flashbacks of the 1970s Asian Movement” (2ndEdition, 2025) and formerly the publications coordinator of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center (1987-2018). She received her MA from UCLA Asian American Studies in 2007. She welcomes comments, questions, and/or criticisms at uyematsu72@gmail.com. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of The Rafu Shimpo.