The Power and Profit Game
More Wars for Wall Street
Bill Astore / Bracing News
(May 3, 2026) — Who’s calling the shots, the USA or Israel? What is the nature of the power dynamic here? What matters more, Wall Street corporate rule or the military-industrial complex? What are the true goals of Israel? Of the U.S.? What resources are vital here, and who’s gaining control of them?
All these questions came to mind as I watched this stimulating interview featuring Richard Medhurst, a journalist with a unique perspective on the dynamics of recent global events. It’s worth a few minutes of your time:
Israel obviously seeks “greater” land: the annexation of Gaza, the West Bank, portions of Syria, and southern Lebanon. Israel is killing hundreds of thousands, and displacing millions, to achieve this goal. Broadly speaking, the U.S. supports Israel, providing them the money and weapons to achieve this vision. Israel seeks regional hegemony; a telling detail is Israel’s increasing control over Syrian water supplies.
What’s in it for the USA? The military-industrial complex profits, of course, but so too does Wall Street, especially the energy sector and the ever-growing power of multinationals like Exxon/Mobil, Chevron, BP, and the like. Disrupting the flow of oil and gas from Iran benefits those who can step in and replace that supply. Weakening China is another possible benefit; at the very least, controlling the flow of oil provides a powerful bargaining chip vis-a-vis China’s dominance of trade and especially of strategic metals.
There’s a power and profit game being played here that is outside the scope of what passes for my expertise. I’ve spent a lot of time researching and writing about military history, the military-industrial complex, military strategy, U.S. politics, and the like. I’ve never been as interested in economics, the global flow of oil and gas, and the machinations of Wall Street. (For example, I hadn’t heard about the ongoing replacement for the Nordstream pipelines being orchestrated by the U.S. and powerful multinationals.)
The strength of Wall Street, with new records set almost daily in the S&P 500, has struck me throughout the Iran War. Yes, the weapons makers are profiting, but why is the U.S. dollar stronger? Why is the market trending upwards during a disastrous and murderous war? Is the U.S. truly gaining more control of sea lanes and pipelines related to oil, gas, and LNG?
The U.S./Israel War against Iran, as well as recent events in Venezuela, schemes about Greenland, and attacks on Russia’s oil and gas infrastructure, are all connected, Medhurst suggests. There is purpose here, and vast profits to be made, for the richest and most powerful entities. Naturally, if ordinary Americans are impoverished while millions globally are killed or displaced, well, that’s the price of making the U.S. and Israel greater (and great) again.
Readers, help me out. While it’s clear America, as in Main Street USA, is losing, it seems obvious that Wall Street movers and shakers see it differently. Are they delusional? Or are they in some sense “winning” in a nakedly amoral (if not immoral) power game that focuses on natural resources and control and dominance of the same?
As would have been taught in Econ 101, the stock market should not be making more new highs while most people are suffering increasing economic hardships. That they don’t reflect each other says the stock market (and bond and derivative markets) are all about something else – and that’s the global flow of capital among the owners.
It’s estimated the big banks hold over $200 trillion in derivatives. It would be a global economic catastrophe If those derivatives were to go bust. That Trump continues to dance around that collapse by obeying the orders of Netanyahu to expand that greater Israel project and destroy the global economy makes no sense – from a rational perspective.
The answer must lie in a mix of insanity and eschatology; with the question: at what point would the owners put a stop to it for their own self interests?
