The Asia-Pacific was hit hard and quick by the war in Iran and its energy bottlenecks. Scenes of crisis there indicate that problems are multiplying and spreading.
The U.S. remains an essential player. The problem, one analyst said, is how to deal effectively with a power that is “indispensable, coercive and unpredictable at the same time.”
Iran reversed course on reopening the strategic waterway, warning it would continue to block transit as long as the U.S. blockade of ships from Iranian ports remained in effect.
The Black Sea country is holding its eighth election in five years, with Bulgarians yearning for the kind of prosperous life enjoyed by other Europeans.