On August 18, 2026, President Trump asserted on his Truth Social site that the Strait of Hormuz is now a “new US territory.” This needs to be carefully unpacked.

Contrary to the opinion of some of his -to put it mildly- detractors everywhere, this is not concocted by someone who is ignorant or whose intellect is immeasurably low. Quite the opposite; considering Mr. Trump’s prime directive to defend and perpetuate the dollar’s privileged role as reserve currency of the world, which is the critical pillar supporting the American economy, it is at once an ominous and masterful stroke.

Ominous because it signals that the U.S. will “defend” its rightful property, presumably with all the means at its disposal. Unfortunately, China could simultaneously mirror the act with respect to Taiwan based on its oft-stated principles of reciprocity and equality. No need to expand on that possibility. As for Iran, it would ostensibly not be able to fire back in kind; namely, that it would not, or could not, swallow the poison pill as it sinks into oblivion and cause unimaginable damage to the life-sustaining desalination plants and oil infrastructure in the entire Middle East. Hopefully that would be the case, for any other result could hardly be called a victory.

It is also masterful in the context of American politics given the uncertain fate of the Republicans’ current majority in Congress come November. In a word, should all-out war with Iran resume in earnest, which may include the nuclear option, it would all but bind the Democrats, should they win, to continue the war until victory is achieved. However, the definition of victory would no longer be based on Mr. Trump’s current terms; it would presumably be the result of the annihilation of the Islamic regime. Thus, should these events come to pass, Mr. Trump’s decision would forestall the possibility that a resurgent Democratic party might curb his will and revoke or limit his warmaking powers for the remainder of his term.

The United States currently exercises sovereignty over 14 distinct territories (often cited as up to 16 including disputed banks), which are classified as sub-national administrative divisions. Of these, five are permanently inhabited and self-governing, while the remaining nine are minor, unpopulated islands primarily used for wildlife preservation and military strategic positioning. The inhabited territories are Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. The Strait of Hormuz is different. If the claim is limited to its waters, which include territorial waters of Iran and other countries, it would be the first of its kind, entirely aquatic. On the other hand, if the circle on Mr. Trump’s post is to be taken literally, the land within it would also include sovereign portions of those countries. In other words, it would require their invasion and permanent occupation. It is at the very least doubtful that Iran would agree to that.

To make matters worse, all this is happening in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war. Indeed, Foreign Minister Lavrov declared that Russia will view British involvement in long-range strikes as participation in the war, and that it will face consequences if it continues to supply drones used by Ukraine for strikes deep inside Russia. Although Lavrov did not define said consequences, Prime Minister Andy Burham responded by saying that the UK will continue to support Ukraine “100%.”

So, depending on Moscow’s response, the distinct possibility of a merger of the two wars exists. That would mean a direct confrontation between nuclear-armed powers, namely NATO/Ukraine & Israel vs. Russia and Iran. To be blunt, no one would win a war of that magnitude.

Mr. Putin is correct to the extent that the root causes of the Russia-Ukraine conflict must be addressed, particularly since he considers his grievances a direct threat to the Russian State. But his perception is one of several that also need to be settled. These include the genuinely reasonable fear of eastern Europeans, which include Poland, Finland, Romania, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Ukraine but not Britain, France and Germany, that Russia wants to reduce them to vassal states to restore the Russian Empire; and American concern that the formerly haphazard de-dollarization in oil transactions is morphing into a structural trend explicitly designed and supported by BRICS, particularly China, which constitutes a clear and present threat to the viability of the American State.

Nuclear war will not and cannot solve any of these grievances and fears because it would destroy everyone. What’s needed is a completely impartial, feasible alternative to fully address them all, gradually and imperceptibly. The content of the book shown above is one such suggestion.