Checkmate in Iran

On one hand this author, Robert Kagan, is best known for encouraging GWB to invade Iraq. So if anyone knows about the perils of starting a war in the Middle East it’s him. But experience is a multiplier on intellect, and zero times anything is still zero.

I would differentiate "the US" from the "Trumpers."

Trump and Co were warned via proper channels ... and that information was ignored. Trumpers were brave and full of bravado ... real gung-ho, until it dawned on them history's page note of this time frame, would be mostly be about the move towards serious adoption of other fuel alternatives, not anything the climate change deniers wanted to see. Though there have been shortages of crude previous pushing up the price, they probably could not have foreseen the camel's back was ready to break, one more knee jerk by the oil merchants pushing prices sky high days after the strait closed, practically no lag, the economy woke up that every little threat was going to be an excuse to hoist the price of fuel upwards and it was time to move towards a better situation. It might take decades but ...

Mineral fuel will always have a seat at the table though.