I call these interests “The Syndicate”—an informal alignment
of the military-industrial complex, oil and gas companies, Wall Street
participants and media houses. Their interests may differ, but uncertainty
serves them all. Prolonged conflict means more weapons orders, volatile energy
prices, speculative opportunities and a continuous supply of headlines.
In this equation, President Donald Trump increasingly
appears less like the sole architect of American policy and more like an
“Operator”—a political leader who converts confrontation into leverage while
powerful economic interests benefit from its consequences.
The circumstances surrounding the war are particularly
revealing. Washington launched military action without securing the full
backing of its European allies. For months, US military installations across
the Gulf faced Iranian retaliation, while Israel received extensive American
military and diplomatic protection. Yet the conflict continued, with no clear
political settlement in sight.
More alarming is speculation that Washington could eventually
consider using nuclear weapons if conventional military options become
exhausted. Even without accepting such speculation as fact, its emergence
illustrates how dangerously far the escalation has travelled.
America’s political system is formally accountable to
voters, but money exercises enormous influence over elections and policymaking.
Corporations and wealthy individuals spend billions seeking access and
influence, raising an uncomfortable question - does political power ultimately
serve voters—or those capable of financing it?
Trump continues to command strong support among America’s
wealthiest constituencies. If that political-economic alliance remains intact,
attempts to remove him may continue to falter, while his political future could
remain far stronger than public sentiment suggests.
Perhaps the real question is not who controls Trump, but who
benefits from endless uncertainty?
The answer may explain why, even in the world’s most
powerful democracy, US president Trump himself could be subservient to the
Syndicate.
