The [[Iran war]] became a stark illustration of the limits of US [[military]] power and its inability to provide the protection the oil-rich [[Persian Gulf]] [[Sunni]] [[Arab]] states believed they had. Iran has shown that it is the new sheriff in town and that US promises of protection are not only worthless but counterproductive, as the US presence makes them not only a target, and invites uncontrolled instability among their majority [[Shi'ite]] [[population]]s. With the [[Hormuz Strait]] closed and oil [[infrastructure]] damaged, far less of their oil was being sold and, therefore, far less is being recycled back into the US [[T-bills]] and [[Treasury bond]]s to [[finance]] the US [[federal deficit]]. | The [[Iran war]] became a stark illustration of the limits of US [[military]] power and its inability to provide the protection the oil-rich [[Persian Gulf]] [[Sunni]] [[Arab]] states believed they had. Iran has shown that it is the new sheriff in town and that US promises of protection are not only worthless but counterproductive, as the US presence makes them not only a target, and invites uncontrolled instability among their majority [[Shi'ite]] [[population]]s. With the [[Hormuz Strait]] closed and oil [[infrastructure]] damaged, far less of their oil was being sold and, therefore, far less is being recycled back into the US [[T-bills]] and [[Treasury bond]]s to [[finance]] the US [[federal deficit]]. |