The week ended on June 5, 2026, interesting news items to look at for the past fortnight are:
Patience or Inertia: For the past two weeks, the main political and conflict theaters have seemed to be in a state of suspended animation, with “skirmishes” but stabilized front lines. My humble assessment is that there now appears a clear delineation between Patience on the Global South and Inertia on the Western Hegemon. (Fig. 1).
One telltale sign was that immediately after Taiwan KMT leader Cheng Li-wun returned from her visit to Beijing, an inner circle of the Trump administration secretly flew to Taiwan to try to extract details of the conversation between Li and Xi. This was leaked yesterday by Dr Julian Kuo, a respected political commentator who served for 3 terms in the Taiwan Legislative Yuan. Another indicator is the constant illusion by Trump of a deal when all that existed was a monologue to the Pakistani intermediary, without the principals talking to one another. (Fig. 2)
Now “Patience” is the deliberate, conscious choice to endure waiting while remaining engaged, whereas “Inertia” is a passive, unconscious resistance to change. While both states can involve a pause in forward motion, patience is anchored in purpose and emotional control, whereas inertia is defined by stagnation and the path of least resistance. The “Core Difference” between the leaders’ psyche would almost certainly determine the eventual outcome. (Fig. 3).
Let’s gather a few data points below to see why ?
(i) Depletion of Munitions - A recent report by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies and echoed across the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, is US faces significant depletion of high-end precision munitions, and it will take one to six years to replenish. (Fig. 4).
Additionally, over 1,000 Tomahawk Cruise Missiles (25% of the total US inventory) have been expended in 39 days against Iran with a Pentagon procurement program of just 57 in the 2025 defense budget. What is missing from the narrative is the replenishment of these munitions; this is predicated on obtaining critical minerals and rare earth from China, which is a hurdle the US cannot overcome within the next 10 years.
(ii) Depletion of Domestic Political Support - On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives moved to limit PONTUS powers to war in Iran (Fig. 5).
Trump’s approval rating also fell from an initial 52% TO A LOW 38%. On similar grounds, the Israeli Knesset also passed a bill to dissolve the parliament for an early election. (Fig. 6).
(iii) Depletion of Ally Support - The worsening economic conditions from the Ukraine and Iranian wars have alienated US ally support from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It was said that Bessent was furious as Japan aggressively sold Treasuries to defend the exchange value of a weak Yen. (Fig. 7).
(iv) Depletion of Funds - ECB reported this week that gold accounted for 27% of global central bank reserve assets at the end of 2025. That was up from 20% a year earlier. By contrast, the share of US Treasuries fell to 22% from 25% over the same period. (Fig. 8).
For students who followed global de-dollarization closely, the news is 9 months behind the first report of this phenomenon, which initially appeared on August 27 2025. (Fig. 9).
Nonetheless, it is still significant for the establishment to formally acknowledge that the established order has lost its grip.
Luke 14:31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
