How a Foreign Bombardment Rescued a Dying Theocracy from Its Own People To the observers of geopolitical folly: In my years of studying how value is created and destroyed, I have learned that the most expensive mistakes are not the ones born of ignorance. They are the ones born of certainty. When someone is absolutely sure they are right, they tend to bet the whole farm. And when the farm in question happens to be the Middle East, the bill arrives not in dollars alone but in lives, stability, and consequences that compound for generations. On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran. The stated objectives were ambitious: dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, neutralize its ballistic missile capabilities, and—though officials danced around the word—effect regime change. The opening salvo killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei himself, along with dozens of senior officials. By any military scorecard, this was a spectacular opening move. ...