The week ended on May 8, 2026, interesting news items to look at for the past fortnight are:
The Next Anticipated Move: My good friend sent a meme yesterday and christened Trump with another nickname - NACHO (Not A Chance Hormuz Opens). It is funny but also tragic. (Fig. 1)
For all of us not involved in the war theatre, we still need to ponder what the next move will be because globally none of us are spared from the effects of the Ukrainian and Iranian wars. So let’s psychologically profile the warmongers and see if we can make some sense of their behavioral patterns. To do this, I will model them based on a profile of an “ addicted” gambler, with explanations along the way. (Fig. 2).
(i) The Addicted Brain (Neurobiology) - The core of gambling addiction is the dysregulation of dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for pleasure and reward. Credit for this understanding goes to the University of Cambridge, and there are 4 aspects.
(a) Anticipation Over Result: Dopamine levels spike during the uncertainty and anticipation of a bet, rather than the win itself. This creates a "chemical shift" that offers a temporary escape from reality. The Art of the Deal trumps everything else - On the back of a win in Venezuela, the adrenaline rush blinded the warmonger’s brain to hastily attack a much bigger and well-fortified adversary, in total disregard of the risks involved.
(b) Variable Ratio Reinforcement: This is the most addictive schedule of reward, where wins are unpredictable. The brain becomes intensely engaged because it never knows when the next "hit" is coming, making the behaviour highly resistant to stopping - notorious for TACO, repeated defeats just mean a change of name of the project or operations, and the attacks continued until bankruptcy. In personal life, Trump was a six times bankrupt, and in politics, the dismal results in Korea, Vietnam, Iraqi, Afghanistan, Ukreanian, global tariffs, and now the Strait of Hormuz mean one more try, and the US will surely win.
(c) The "Near-Miss" Effect: In an addicted brain, a "near-miss" (e.g., two out of three matching symbols) is processed as a win rather than a loss. This triggers reward pathways, encouraging the person to continue betting because they feel they are "close" - yeah, decapitated the Iranian leadership, destroyed buildings and decoy missile launchers together with an aged assortment of boats and vintage Iranian fighter planes mean US is already near victory.
(d) Tolerance and Withdrawal: Over time, gamblers need higher stakes to achieve the same "high". When trying to stop, they experience physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms like irritability, restlessness, and anxiety - in our last Blog, we have provided news clip under the paragraph of Commander-in-Doubt to fully explain Trump’s behavior.
(ii) Cognitive Distortions - Addicted gamblers often hold irrational beliefs that justify their continued play.
(a) Illusion of Control: The belief that they can influence a random outcome through "skill," rituals, or specific knowledge - The Art of the Deal and Trump’s favourite mantra, “I hold all the cards,” say it all.
(b) Gambler’s Fallacy: The incorrect belief that if an event (like a loss) happens frequently, a different outcome - all the realty assessment is ignored, or the bearer is fired.
(c) Chasing Losses: A hallmark symptom where the gambler feels they must keep playing to recoup lost money. Psychologically, this shifts gambling from "entertainment" to a "desperate solution" for financial problems - $40 trillion in debt and climbing, no end in sight until bankruptcy enters.
(iii) Emotional and Psychological Drivers - For many, gambling is not about the money, but about emotional regulation.
(a) Escapism: Gambling acts as a "numbing" mechanism to escape stress, depression, anxiety, or past trauma - after 17 tweets on Truth Social in one night with 4 more after 7am, is this what a President should do?
(b) Self-Esteem and Power: Winning provides a fleeting sense of dominance, power, and inflated self-esteem that may be missing from the individual's daily life.Trump’s insecurity is in full display with his obsession to be in front of cameras and non-stop posts on social media.
(c ) Internal Conflict: Addicted gamblers often live in a state of "hidden illness," feeling a mental battle between the part of them that wants to stop and the part that craves the escape. This leads to extensive lying and deception to hide the extent of the problem from loved ones - Trump is in a state of total alienation with his supporters and allies.
All of the above observations of an addicted gambler fit the warmongers like hand in glove. Sadly, if the pathology is not checked by its own constituents, then order will be imposed by external forces. The $64 question is when the pain threshold will be reached for Americans and Europeans to stop this madness. My best guess is that the broken supply chain and logistics will fully manifest in the coming summer and fall; hopefully, this will be timely enough to impact the next election cycle. I am pessimistic; however, even with hyperinflation and the food and cost of living crisis, the deeply entrenched shadow government will not change its course. The pathology of gambling disorder has become endemic. After a pause, the warmongers will try again their old playbook of economic choke points and this time round will be the Strait of Malacca, the last of four choke points they have not tried. With that we will formally enter WWIII and may God have mercy to those who believe in Him. (Fig. 3)
Revelation 6:7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come and see." 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.
