Wealth of Nations

THE WEALTH OF NATIONSThe world is on fire. For some, it's a tragedy. For others, it's a fire sale.While the Strait of Hormuz chokes, the global economy teeters on the edge of a catastrophic recession, and a spray-tanned American lunatic types in all-caps at 3:00 AM, the architects of the modern world are quietly sipping tea in gold-plated armchairs.Everyone is looking at the bombs. Nobody is looking at the ledger.When OPEC+ responds to a global energy meltdown with a production increase that wouldn't fill a garden hose, the message is clear: the "e;noble, peace-loving moderates"e; of the Gulf aren't trying to save the market. They're squeezing the golden goose until its neck snaps.With the EV revolution charging like a freight train toward the petrodollar's use-by date, the desert kingdoms are playing every side of every war to fund their vanity cities and sovereign wealth funds. They've given the "e;enemy"e; a heads-up, whispered secrets to their "e;allies,"e; and turned the suffering of millions into a financial event better than Christmas.In a world of performance-art diplomacy and moral bankruptcy, only one truth remains: You cannot sit at every table and expect no one to notice you've stolen everyone's wallet.