An essay

with respectful h/t to David Foster Wallace and wendy davis

The United States has been rapidly losing influence in Asia these past few months, but this past week really solidified that loss.

The news media has finally caught up with what I've been pointing out for weeks (here and here) - that our economic sanctions aren't working. In fact, the sanctions are completely backfiring.
Headlines from this morning spells this out in no uncertain terms.

Trump is a godsend for all of our foreign rivals who want to see an end to American hegemony.
When even our lapdog Japan speaks up, you know things are getting out of hand.

While Republicans are pushing for Donald Trump to get a Nobel Peace Prize for doing little or nothing in Korea, it turns out that Trump is succeeding in doing the impossible and uniting almost the entire world - against the United States.

It's not like you couldn't see this one coming.
Last week, right before Trump imposed new economic sanctions on Iran, Reuters posted this headline:
Iran oil sanctions could advance China's 'petro-yuan'

Can We Escape the War Economy?

Yes, but we would have to want to change. This week we see a chance for peace on the Korean peninsula, so quick start a war with Iran and boost the market! The irony that Iran is the terrorist nation as Israel bombs them ...while Israel shoots children and journalists for marching against the conditions of their open air interment camp. Then consider the repressive kingdom of Saud and the horrors of the US-Saudi war in Yemen. But Iran is the terrorist nation? Looks like our allies are the biggest terrorists in the region to me. This echoes Iraq's WMD. We're gonna have our war like it or not. What citizens want no longer plays a role in our faux democracy. The oligarchs will have their way. Is it possible to escape this insanity? It would take a new system. This week let's look and listen to some forward thinking economists and consider other approaches as we look at the weeks events.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis recently said, “We do look toward a victory in Afghanistan.”
Last week's official report says the opposite.

If you thought Europe was onboard with Washington's efforts to isolate Russia, think again.