Five weeks into the US-Israel air campaign against Iran, the world is tallying the economic wreckage: Brent crude at $114 a barrel, the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed to commercial traffic, and the International Energy Agency calling it the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market. “Having the right strategic assumptions and the right strategic decision mechanisms for executing that strategy is something the Chinese might think that they’re better at than the United States at the moment.” China’s military budget grew 7% in 2026 to roughly $277 billion, and its official military media outlet has published formal analyses of the conflict’s lessons, covering everything from the role of AI in US targeting to the effectiveness of leadership decapitation strikes.
Author: Michael Kern
Published at: 2026-04-04 23:00:00
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