Why can a war in the Persian Gulf change the price of fuel in oil-producing Wyoming? This March 2026 essay follows the connections among oil, the dollar, federal borrowing, and American military commitments, beginning at a gas pump near Rawlins.
Five historical scenes trace the argument through the 1953 Iranian coup, the end of dollar-gold convertibility, the oil embargo, Saudi investment in U.S. debt, and the Carter Doctrine. I ask how decisions made across decades bind military and domestic spending to the same financial system. The Iran conflict supplies the contemporary test: before a leader pulls one link, do they understand what else is attached to it?
Read the essay and sources: https://joelkdouglas.com/2026/03/31/the-sand-trap/
