“Money don’t get everything, it’s true. What it don’t get, I can’t use”
We’ve entered an era where the United States wages war not with missiles, but with money-and it may be the most decisive battlefield yet.
In the month of April 2026 the United States announced a “ceasefire” and the end of Operation Epic Fury. In response to an Iranian blockade the Americans created a secondary blockade to prevent ships entering or leaving Iranian ports. Also “Operation Economic Fury” was announced by the Treasury Department’s Chairmen Scott Bessent. https://defensescoop.com/2026/04/16/trump-economic-pressure-iran-blockade/
This is not the first time the United States has used economic superiority against adversaries. You could argue a major component of the Cold War was economic superiority over the Soviet Union.
Gen X grew up watching the Cold War end not with a bang but with a bankruptcy. Now we’re watching the sequel-this time with blockchains instead of Berlin Walls.
A large part of the problem is other sovereign wealth is not necessarily traceable to or from the Iranian regime. The US has put pressure on both Russia and China to stop supporting Iran with weapons or money.
Whether by design or coincidence, the Venezuela operation severed one of the key arteries feeding Iran’s shadow-fleet economy. Although we don’t know for a fact, but the whole Venezuela adventure was deliberate act to begin to cut off the black market crude oil system.
But the black market underworld is a difficult enterprise to evaluate let alone stop. Internationally shadow fleets of oil tankers have been sailing either ignored or unknown for years between Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, China, and Russia. Most likely much of the BRICS countries use covert and overt means to overcome the petrodollar system which they can be easily locked out of by the EU or US. Enter crypto currencies as alternative payment systems and the black market has a payment system that can’t be sanctioned by the West. Or can it?
Crypto isn’t untraceable-it’s unforgiving. Once the U.S. decides to follow the money, the ledger becomes a map.
One thing the Feds love is an immutable ledger. Combined with newly acquired Artificial Intelligence finding rouge needles in digital haystacks might be quite easy. Just watch this space for what cryptocurrencies
Turns out the Department of War isn’t the only one holding weapons of mass destruction.
Recently I asked AI (Microsoft Copilot) to explain Stablecoins in graphic representations.
I submit these two diagrams:
As seen from these diagrams the power and projection of the US Dollar is taking over the functional monetary system with speed and liquidity backed by the economy and military strength of the United States. This pushes out ACH and SWIFT as archaic and slow at the pace of old world monetary policy.
IF the United States can pull this off (and realistically I can’t see how anyone can stop us) the wealthiest nation will only get wealthier, raising all boats (or at least the ones willing to use the American monetary system).
If the U.S. succeeds, the world won’t just use the dollar-they’ll depend on it.
And dependence is the ultimate leverage.
“I’ve got the brains, you got the looks. Let’s make lots of money.”
Next time: Theory of a Madman
GenX Turns Fifty 
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